Time, Time Ticking On Me
by Caitlinlaurie
Summary: An AU re-imagining of Mark and Lexie. She would make this one night last forever, and try to forget that she would never feel this way again. Mark/Lexie, with some McStizzie undertones. Discontinued.
1. Look To the Clock on the Wall

**Title:** Time, Time Ticking on Me

**Characters/Pairings:** Mark/Lexie, with some McStizzie undertones and mentions.

**Rating:** M

**Spoilers:** None. This is AU from the end of Season Four.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it. The characters belong to Shonda and ABC. This fic is for entertainment purposes only.

**A/N:** Okay, so this fic is an AU re-imagining of Mark and Lexie. I have had this idea for a while, but had no idea how to write it. This will be a multi-chapter fic. Most questions will be answered as the fic goes on, but I need to clarify that I am completely ignoring the travesty of a season finale that aired last night. Izzie does not have cancer…and George is fine. The first couple episodes of Season Five did happen…with some minor adjustments. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this!

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_Chapter One - Look To the Clock on the Wall_

There was never enough alcohol in the bottom of the glass. After two hours of steady drinking, Mark Sloan had come to the conclusion that as miserable as he was, even a steady stream of liquor wasn't going to cure it.

And he was. Miserable, that is.

Mark had lived through some pretty shitty things in his life, but he couldn't remember any of them coming close to this. His parents had basically abandoned him to the care of his nannies. He had lost two of his best friends in a single night. And he had fallen in love with a woman who could not, or would not, love him back. But his parents, Addison, Derek…none of that could even touch the misery that he was feeling now.

She was married. Fucking married.

How could this have happened?

One minute they were laughing together, the next minute she was telling him that he had to forget the best night of his life. God, and the way that she had looked at him…like he was a fucking robot or something. Mark had known that the rumors about him were bad, but he had never thought that they were _that_ bad.

Never thought that they were bad enough for her to look at him like that.

The irony of the whole situation was that he had thought she was different. She the first woman who had ever stood up to him. It made him smile to think back to that first time he had ever really noticed her when she had refused to get his cappuccino. She had been amazing, her eyes sparkling like hardened gems. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from smoothing the hair from her face.

Mark put his head into his hands. How could she do this to him? Didn't she know how he felt about her? Didn't she know that he was madly in love with her? It wasn't like he let anyone scrub in on his surgeries. It wasn't like he made jokes with the residents and interns on a daily basis…well, accept one. But he had always treated _her_ differently.

But she didn't see any of it.

All she could see was Alex Karev and his cocky attitude. Mark knew men like Alex; they were the ones who had something broken inside them that needed to be fixed. And she had honed in on that like a beacon. From almost the first moment she had been at Seattle Grace, she and Alex had been dancing around each other.

But Mark thought things had changed. He thought when Jane Doe had returned that she had finally wised up and let him go. Or maybe he had just let himself believe that because he had fallen irrevocably in love with her and didn't know how to extricate himself from it.

Watching her though…watching her get married had been the hardest thing he had ever done. He had tightened his jaw and clenched his fists, but there had still been a part of him that wanted to run screaming from the church. Or maybe breakdown crying, but he would never admit to that.

Mark knew that this was the way it was supposed to be. Perhaps that was the saddest part. He was madly in love for the first time in his entire life…and she had married someone else. It was almost funny if you considered the real irony of the situation. He had fooled himself into believing that he loved Addison, and then destroyed Derek's marriage on that belief. Now, he really was truly and deeply in love…but this was one marriage he refused to destroy.

He cared about her too much to do that.

Lord, this was so fucking perfect. He developed a conscience at the most inconvenient time.

How the hell had this happened to him?

"I thought I might find you here."

Mark swiveled on the stool to see Lexie standing behind him. He tried not to show any emotion on his face. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a reception to be at? Happily ever afters and all that bullshit?"

She shrugged. "I left."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Mark asked, wondering if his brain was muddled by the alcohol. "I am not to clear on wedding decorum, but I think all members of the wedding party are supposed to stay 'til the end."

Lexie sat down next to him, her poofy dress spilling over the stool, motioning towards the bartender. "Two shots of tequila, please."

"That's a grown up drink," Mark said with a sneer.

"Are you going to be an ass, or are you going to let me drink with you?" Lexie's voice was full of exacerbation. "Cause the way I see it, I am the only one here."

"I don't need anyone," Mark lied. "I can take care of myself, Little Grey."

"Sure you can," Lexie said. "That is why you were grinding your teeth all through the vows."

"I am surprised you noticed."

"You were sitting in the third pew, Mark," Lexie stated. "It wasn't that far from where I was standing."

"Still," Mark said, feeling guilty. "That is the last thing you should have been thinking about at that moment. Sorry if I distracted you."

She shrugged, her shoulders barely moving. "I didn't mind. It gave me something to focus on."

"You should have been focusing on the vows," Mark said.

Lexie smiled and shook her head. "It's not like it was my wedding or something. I was only a bridesmaid."

Mark wrapped his hand around his glass, wondering what kind of damage he could inflict if he squeezed a little harder and allowed the shards to penetrate his flesh. "No," He said, his voice hoarse. "It wasn't your wedding."

Lexie stole a look out of the corner of her eyes, watching him closely. The pain that was etched across his features was like a knife to her gut. Seeing him like this made her all the more aware of what it was she would never have. When she finally found her voice, she said, "It was Izzie's wedding."

"Yeah," Mark whispered. "It was Izzie's wedding."

It had been the wedding of Isobel Stevens to Alex Karev…and the worst hour of Mark's life.

They sat in silence for a while, and Lexie wondered if this was her lot in life. Would she always be in love with men that didn't, or couldn't, love her? Thinking back, she should have seen the signs early on. After her brief interlude with Alex, Lexie had latched onto George and when things hadn't happened with him…she turned to Mark. It made her smile now to think of the origins of their odd friendship.

She had been sitting at Joe's one night, she recited the periodic table, and the rest was history. They had become friends. Lexie could remember, like it was yesterday, the relief she had felt at being friends with Mark. She could say anything to him, and he seemed to take it in stride. When she had come crying to him when she had realized it was never going to happen with George, he had held her and told her over and over how O'Malley was an idiot. And how she was so much better than him.

Lexie had even started to believe him.

So they would meet for drinks, and laugh. He would take her to dinner and to movies, acting like she was the friend he had always been waiting for. Without the complication of feelings on his side, he seemed to have no problem taking her under his wing. Derek's Little-Sister-in-Training he had called her, which he later shortened to Little Grey. He seemed to think that she gave the best advice, and he would listen raptly when she had tried to tell him things, as if she were the smartest person he knew.

It was no wonder that she had started to think it was more between them.

Only later did she realize that he only listened to her because she was like her…Lexie was like Izzie.

But then there had been the night she wished she could forget. The single most embarrassing moment of her entire life. Lexie, convinced that the friendship he showed her was code for something more, had gone to his hotel room and begun to strip. Teach me, she had said. She said it over and over, all the while pulling off her clothes.

But he had turned her down.

After she had put her clothes back on, Mark had sat her down and told her that he couldn't do this to her. Not to her, not to his friend. He then told her his greatest secret, one that not even Derek or Callie knew.

He was in love with Izzie Stevens.

Lexie had wanted to curl into the floor and die, but Mark's kind words had prevented her from doing that. He had gently told her how he loved Izzie, how he had from the first moment he met her, and that he could never sleep with Lexie because he respected her too much for that. Because she was his friend.

And people said Mark Sloan had no feelings.

He had told her all about how he felt for Izzie, and how they had spent one night together two months before… how she had then gone back to Alex and forgotten all about him.

He had been sweet, trying to make the fact that she had thrown herself at him his fault, instead of hers.

Lexie had wanted to avoid Mark after that, but he made it impossible. He simply refused to lose her as a friend and had annoyed her until she relented. Lexie had played it off like she was lonely and wanted sex, and Mark seemed to accept that at face value, but she knew the truth.

She was in irrevocably in love with Mark Sloan.

It had started slow, as friendship, but it had grown and grown until she wondered if she even had space for any other emotion. But she wasn't pathetic like with George, oh no. With Mark it was utterly different. Perhaps it was because he respected her and listened to her ideas, or perhaps it was because he was her teacher as well has her friend. She liked that she could tell him anything, and he liked that he could sleep with random women and she wouldn't judge him. It was an odd friendship, but it worked for them.

But then she had started to love him. It made everything so much more complicated. Though she dared any woman to have Mark Sloan look at them and tell them that they were far too special to waste on a guy like George O'Malley and not fall madly in love with him. It simply wasn't possible.

And most of the time she was able to hide how she felt about him. Most of the time she was able to push it into the furthest corner of her mind and tell herself that it didn't exist. Most of the time she could pretend.

But for some reason she couldn't pretend tonight.

"You know what you need?" Lexie asked, after she downed her second shot.

"What?" Mark asked blearily, his eyes beginning to close.

"Sex," Lexie stated confidently.

Mark laughed, but it was a hollow, ugly sound. "Lex, I am hardly in the frame of mind to fuck some random woman tonight. I don't think I could be charming right now if my life depended on it." Mark sat up, telling himself that he was getting to be pathetic.

"That is why I have the perfect solution," Lexie stated with confidence. "A way for you to forget your problems for the night, and get Isobel Stevens out of your mind."

"Karev," Mark muttered.

"What?"

"Isobel Karev," Mark said. "She is taking his name."

"See?" Lexie said, gesturing with her hand. "This isn't healthy. You need to forget about her for one evening. And tonight is definitely a night you should forget."

"Maybe," Mark said, quirking the corner of his mouth as he looked down into his scotch.

"I am right, trust me on this," Lexie said.

"I guess," Mark replied.

"Glad you agree," Lexie said. She then took a deep breath and forced herself to continue. This was her one chance. _Just say it, Lexie_. "That is why I think we should have sex."

Mark's head snapped up, and he looked at her in shock. "What?"

"Sex," Lexie stated. "You and me. I think we should have it."

"Umm, Lex… I really don't think that is the best idea," Mark said. "First of all, you are my friend and I don't want to ruin that. Secondly, Derek still thinks that I am going to break you even though I told him we are just friends. Third, I really am not in a good place at the moment…" Mark trialed off. "It wouldn't be…good."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "I am capable of taking care of myself, Mark…and that applies to all three objections."

Mark thought his eyes might bug out of his head. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with his best friend. He cleared his throat. "Lexie, I know you are trying to make me feel better…"

"Mark," Lexie said, using a tone of voice that he had never heard before. He lifted his eyes and saw the smoky quality _her_ eyes had taken on. Looking at the way her pupils had swallowed her irises caused his stomach to clench in a surprising way.

She continued, "You are my friend, and you need me tonight. Let me do this for you."

Mark felt his jaw slide open, and before he knew it, Lexie was pressed up against him and pressing a fervent kiss to his mouth. He wanted to resist at first, to give her one last chance to back out of this plan, but the way her lips moved against his caused him to respond without thinking. His fingers moved through her hair, as he pulled her face against his, tilting her head for a better angle.

When he started to respond, Lexie felt the most divine relief surge through her veins. For one horrible moment, Lexie thought he was going to refuse her, to push her away again. But he wasn't. His lips were moving against her own, and when his tongue finally brushed hers, Lexie let out a moan of pleasure.

It was hot and dark, all the things she had always imagined. He tasted like scotch and something else…something so uniquely him that it almost took her breath away.

He pulled back and Lexie noticed that his eyes had taken on a drugged quality. "Let's go back to your room," Lexie said, before he could speak. She didn't want to give him a chance to say no.

Mark nodded, and quickly tossed two twenties on the counter.

As he tugged her from the bar, Lexie pushed all of her wild thoughts away. Yes, she would regret this later. Yes, this would change their friendship. Yes, she was going to get her heart broken when he looked at her in the morning and told her it was a mistake. All of that was true.

But at this moment…all she could think about was that she was finally going to get her chance to go to bed with the man that she loved.

She was going to get one night.

And all the feelings and complications that arose because of it…well, she would deal with that later. Mark didn't need to know how deeply she loved him, and he never would.

He never would because she was going to take this one night and make it last for a lifetime.

Mark might love Izzie, but tonight…he was hers.

For just one night, he would be in her arms.

And that would have to be enough.

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**_Please Review!!_**


	2. Hands Hardly Moving At All

_**Hi Everyone! Thank you for the reviews, they always make me smile. Many of you touched on the problems and complications which will drive this story. Does Mark really love Izzie? Is Lexie taking advantage of the situation? These are things that will be addressed as the story moves forward. I love that I have such clever readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think! This chapter is definitely mature, so if you aren't old enough to read, please avert your eyes! LOL!  
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_Chapter Two - Hands Hardly Moving At All_

The air was thick with desire when Mark opened the door to his hotel room. He led Lexie silently inside as his fingers, which had been safely intertwined with hers, pulled her forward. He didn't bother turning on the lights; the moonlight was shining brightly into the room and, along with the soft light of the sconces on the wall, he could see more clearly than ever before.

The bravado, which had been with Lexie as she spoke to Mark in the bar, quickly abandoned her when she saw the large bed sitting in the middle of his room. The full impact of what she was about to do hit Lexie with the force of a thousand hammers. That slightly reckless part of her, which had temporarily taken control of her body, seemed to evaporate.

Mark moved into the center of the room and dropped his keycard on the bureau; he then turned to look at her. Lexie dropped her purse and took off her coat, but nothing else. She had to give him a chance to stop this.

"Mark," She said tentatively. "You have been drinking and I…I might be taking advantage of the situation here. We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"You don't want to anymore," Mark stated, his voice flat. He wasn't asking a question, but rather dispassionately stating a fact.

"No!" Lexie exclaimed. "I do want to…very much, but perhaps you are not in the best frame of mind to be making this decision." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want you to resent me in the morning."

Mark laughed, struck by the absurdity of that idea. "Lex, I could never resent you. You have quickly become one of the only people in my life that I can rely on." He moved forward then, cupping her face in his hands. "The only one who might regret this is you."

_I could never regret this_, she thought silently. After staring into his eyes, Lexie squeezed her own shut. She couldn't do this. He might think it now, but he _would_ resent her in the morning. Especially if he ever found out that the reason she wanted to sleep with him wasn't so she could help him, but rather because she was desperately in love with him.

She opened her mouth to tell him they couldn't do this, when he whispered, "Please, Lex. I don't want to be alone tonight."

Lexie could do nothing but nod. For better or worse, this was what she wanted. _Please don't hate me tomorrow_, Lexie thought just as Mark's mouth claimed hers.

The feeling of his lips on hers was an assault to Lexie's senses. The smell of him, the taste of him, the _pressure_ of him…it all combined to make her feel as though she had never really been kissed before. But at the same time, there was something hesitant about his mouth, as if he was waiting for something. Lexie realized that Mark was not going to be the seducer tonight. He simply couldn't; it was up to Lexie.

Screwing her courage to the sticking place, Lexie continued kissing and nibbling his lips as she pushed the suit jacket from his shoulders, easing the fabric off of his tall frame. His whiskers scraped against her cheeks and reminded Lexie just who she was kissing. The intensity of it caused Lexie to stand on her tiptoes and wrap her arms around him, pressing her body against his own. Mark groaned against her mouth, and reached up to pull off his tie.

"No," Lexie said, pulling her mouth from his. "Let me."

She slowly loosened his tie, gently pulling the material from his neck. Mark enjoyed watching her as she did. Her face was flushed and her lips were swollen, the red quality of them looking more seductive than any lipstick she could have ever worn. He had no idea why, but he didn't want to stop kissing her anytime soon. He had to have more. Lowering his lips to hers again, Mark nearly groaned as he once again tasted the sweetness of her mouth.

She kissed like she tasted. Like honey and summer, all innocence and romance…all at the same time. Mark tried to remember if this was how Izzie had kissed him the one night they spent together, but he honestly couldn't remember. Not now, anyway; Lexie had him under her spell.

It had been four months since Lexie had come to his hotel room and started stripping, but for the life of him, Mark couldn't remember why he hadn't taken her into his arms at that moment. Knowing what he knew now, feeling what he felt now, Mark was sure that he must be a candidate for sainthood for stopping her that night…or the world's greatest fool.

Under the ease of her nimble fingers, the top three buttons of his dress shirt came undone. Once the smooth skin of his neck and the top of his chest were revealed, Lexie pressed kisses to the indentation of his clavicle and then dragged her tongue downward. Soon, the other buttons of his shirt fell away, and Lexie was yanking the material from his dress pants. Mark was a very visual creature, and as much as he loved the way Lexie looked spreading kisses across his upper body, he wanted to see her.

Pulling her away from his chest, Mark eased down the zipper of the purple bridesmaid's dress she was wearing. His body, which had already been responding to her, hardened even more when he saw that she wasn't wearing a bra. The dress pooled in a fluffy cloud at her feet and she stepped out of it, kicking the itchy material away.

Mark felt his breath leave his chest as he stared at her. Lexie was standing before him in nothing but lacy purple underwear and strappy purple sandals. Her chest was moving up and down with every heavy breath she took, giving more emphasis to her rosy tipped breasts which had captured his attention. Beneath them, she was all smooth curves and rounded edges. Her flat stomach flared out to rounded hips he desperately wanted to clench his hands around, but it was her legs which enchanted him the most. They were long and smooth. Lexie was so tiny that her legs should have been tiny as well, but instead they were long and elegant, rivaling any model that Mark had ever seen.

When he finally found his voice, Mark rasped, "Jesus Christ, Lex."

Lexie looked up at his eyes, moving her hair forward to cover her naked breasts. Her hair, however, wasn't long enough and only served to frame them.

She was as beautiful as any of the paintings that Mark had seen in the course of his life. _She_ was what beautiful women sought to emulate, and tried to achieve through diet and surgery. The kind of beautiful that all women wanted… but Lexie had naturally.

Her eyes, though, did not seem to understand how beautiful she was, and her own unease shined though. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but Mark moved forward swiftly, pressing a finger to her lips to silence her.

"You are so gorgeous," He groaned, yanking her towards him.

Lexie happily went, loving the way that he seemed to kiss her with everything in him. His bare chest was pressed against hers, and Lexie moaned when the smooth planes caressed her nipples. Mark grinned against her mouth at the sound, and then moved one of his hands up to cup her right breast. His fingers quickly found what she liked, and then began moving in lazy strokes against the smoothness of her skin.

While he was performing his delicious torment, Lexie made quick work of his belt buckle, pulling it from his pants and then attacking the button there. Once it was undone, Lexie moved her fingers inside of his pants and began to slowly stroke him through the fabric of his boxer briefs.

Mark pulled back from her mouth in shock. Her innocent strokes served to make him harder than he could have anticipated. He had no idea why his body was responding so quickly and so fiercely to the woman in his arms, but he wasn't about to question it. Picking her up, Mark carried her over to the bed, and dropped her down onto the soft white coverlet.

He followed her down, settling on top of her and between her legs. Even through his pants, and both pairs of underwear, his and hers, he could feel her warmth. He wanted nothing more than to be inside of her, but Mark forced himself to slow down. He _needed_ to slow down.

Even though the haze of desire and alcohol, Mark knew this wouldn't happen again. This was the one night he was ever going to get with Lexie…and something told him to savor it.

Looking down, Mark was again struck by her beauty. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow, her lips were begging to be kissed, and he could feel the tips of her breast pressing against him. Mark eased slowly down her body, pressing kisses along her flesh until he reached the tip of her left breast. With little to no preamble, he took the desire-hardened peak into his mouth and began to work delicious torment upon it. His right hand caressed the flesh of her stomach and kept moving downward until he cupped her mound through the lace of her panties. He lazily began to stroke her flesh, all the while sucking and nibbling on her breast.

Lexie cried out at the pleasure of it all. She had no idea when she had become the seduced, rather than the seducer, but she reveled in the feel of him. It had never even occurred to her that he was in the frame of mind to be this loving. She had anticipated quick and hard, fast and passionate…but this was torture of the most sublime quality.

When Mark moved back up her body to kiss her mouth again, Lexie tightened her hips around him and quickly rolled them over until she was on top. Sitting up, Lexie moved her hips against his, and biting her lip against the sensations she achieved from even the smallest friction. Mark had closed his eyes, and the corded muscles in his neck were standing out prominently. She grinned, enjoying the fact that she had been the one to put that drugged and amorous look on his face.

Easing off of his body, Lexie pulled off his shoes and socks, tossing them behind her. She then pulled off his pants, easing the snug material over his hips and down his legs, leaving Mark in just his black boxer briefs. She smiled when she saw the way the material strained over his erection. Settling herself back on top of him, Lexie leaned down and began licking and kissing her way down his chest and abdomen. When she reached his desire, she eased the fabric down over his hips. She then wrapped her hands around his erection and gave the head a tentative lick.

Mark's eyes shot open, and he looked down at her in shock. "If you do that," he groaned, "This isn't going to last much longer."

Lexie licked the shaft from the base to the tip and smiled at the way his head tossed on the pillow. Her voice was full of amusement and desire when she said, "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

But she then took him all the way into her mouth, ignoring his warning.

"Lexie!" Mark gasped, as his fingers fisted the coverlet.

Her mouth lazily sucked and licked him, and Mark was sure he was going to die any moment. Her hair fell to either sides of her face, and caressed the tops of his thighs, adding to the sensations that were reeling through his body. Mark was certain that he had never seen a more erotic thing in his entire life than the sight of Lexie sucking him down. And just when he was convinced that he couldn't take anymore, Lexie pulled away from him and moved up his body again.

Mark's eyes were dark with desire and surprise when he looked at her. He reached his hands up, moving the silky brown hair back from where it was hanging in her face. He kissed her, and without warning, rolled her over so that she was on her back. Kneeling between her legs, Mark quickly pulled off his underwear and settled back between her thighs. He tried not to audibly groan at the feeling of the wet lace against his flesh, but it was a lost cause.

Lexie's mouth quirked into a confident grin, as she rocked her hips against his. Mark clenched his teeth, determined not to come until he was inside of her. Looking at her, Mark noticed that her brown eyes, which were normally so innocent, were nothing of the sort at the moment. Apparently, inside Lexie there was a seductress waiting to break free.

"God, you are so fucking beautiful," Mark whispered, looking down at her.

Lexie's smile fell away, replaced by a look he couldn't identify…but it made something warm blossom in his chest. The full impact of what they were about to do hit him, causing Mark to rock back onto his knees. This was _Lexie_, and God, he wanted her so much.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Mark pulled the scrap of lace covering her down her body, and Lexie kicked it way when it got caught on her left heel. He settled back between her legs, parting her flesh with his fingers. Mark had meant to ease her into this, to stroke her until she was wet enough for him, but he didn't have to. Lexie was soaking and ready for him.

He let out a strained noise as he pressed the tip of his penis against her hot flesh. The feel of that alone was so intense that he had to stop for a moment to control himself. Lexie pulled his head down to hers, mating their mouths in the way that their bodies would soon follow. As she kissed him, she suddenly bucked her hips, and the head of his length pushed inside of her. Mark groaned against her mouth, loving the breathy moan that Lexie let out as well. She then bucked her hips again, moving him even more deeply inside of her.

Mark had had enough.

With one sure thrust, he embedded his length deeply inside of Lexie; their bodies connected finally. Lexie arched her back, tossing her head. Mark eased her legs even wider apart, seeking deeper purchase within her flesh. Lexie seemed to sense what he wanted without him speaking, and she wrapped her legs around his hips causing him to groan as she took him even deeper into her body.

Mark's eyes suddenly opened, and he looked down at the beauty in his arms. "Lexie," He whispered, cupping her face.

Lexie looked up at him and realized that she was the only woman he was thinking of. He wanted _her_. All the emotion that she had ever felt for him seemed to bubble up in her chest, and she pulled his head to hers again, not wanting him to see the tears that had pooled in her eyes.

Their lips met, their tongues touched…and then he began to move.

Lexie suddenly realized how people could be so lost to ardor that they wanted nothing else. She understood why people had affairs; why some people wanted to stay in bed all day. For the first time in her life she understood passion. The six men that had come before Mark faded from her mind, and Lexie realized that she had never really had sex before. Because nothing that didn't feel like _this_ could possibly fit into that category.

His thrusts weren't measured, and for the first time in his life, Mark forgot the Sloan Method.

There was nothing but passion, and heat, and _her_.

Lexie's lips moved against his as her flesh enveloped him, over and over again. The heels of her strappy sandals scrapped against the backs of his thighs, but the slight pain only added to the pleasure he was feeling. Mark felt himself begin to loose control, but he didn't want to fall over that cliff without Lexie. Reaching up, he squeezed one of her reddened nipples in his fingers. Lexie's eyes shot open, and a low scream came from her throat. She tossed her head back and began to clench around him.

Mark buried his face in the side of her neck, his body feeling as if it was about to explode in pleasure from the feeling of her squeezing around him. He wanted to let himself go, but something stopped him. Then he realized what it was.

He wanted to watch her.

Lifting his head, Mark gazed at her as her face contorted in pleasure from her orgasm. He continued thrusting, and when she finally opened her eyes, Mark saw those brown depths and was lost. She grabbed his ass and pulled him forward, taking him deeper into her body that he had been before. Mark cried out at the feeling, and Lexie did as well. He was now pressed right up against her clit, and with a few more thrusts, he brought her to orgasm again. Lexie cried out in shock and surprise as the delicious spasms claimed her again, and tears spilled out the sides of her eyes.

This time, Mark could not hold off. As she clenched around him, he thrust into her one more time and then followed her over that cliff. As he came, Mark heard himself yell Lexie's name. He emptied his body into her over and over again, the spasms of his orgasm lasting longer than he could ever remember.

When he finally collapsed on top of her body, Mark couldn't move. He had no strength left. His mind couldn't process what had just happened, and he didn't have the energy to try.

He felt her breaths slow and become rhythmic, so Mark simply closed his eyes and followed Lexie into sleep.

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_**Review Please!!**_


	3. Can't Stand the State That I'm In

_**Thank you to everyone for the amazing reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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_Chapter Three - Can't Stand the State That I'm In_

The end to the best night of her life came far too early for Lexie. After five and a half months of training herself to wake at four am, she was surprised when she looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearing six. Her shift didn't start for another two hours, but Lexie knew she had to leave anyway. Easing away from the heavy bronzed arm which had pinned her to the bed, Lexie tried to get up without waking Mark.

Once she stood, she rushed over to the discarded purple bridesmaid's dress on the floor and pulled it back onto her body. She tried to get the zipper up on her own, but was only able to make it half way before she conceded defeat. Lexie then looked for her underwear which she knew was on the ground somewhere. She searched for awhile, but then gave them up for lost after a few minutes. Leaning over, she picked up the heels which Mark had pulled off of her somewhere between the second and third time, grabbed her coat and purse, and silently slipped from the room.

Lexie had mastered self-flagellation a long time ago, and all the way back to Joe's to get her car she mentally chastised herself again and again. What had she been thinking? Sleeping with Mark Sloan was probably one of the stupidest things she had ever done. Not because she regretted it, no, never that…but rather because she valued the friendship she had with him far more. It was hard to explain how much she had come to respect and _need_ him as her friend. Being Lexie Grey, working at Seattle Grace…it was easy to begin to feel invisible.

But she had never been invisible to _him_.

For some inexplicable reason, he had always been able to see her. In the beginning of their convoluted friendship, Lexie had been under the impression that it was because he enjoyed teasing and tormenting her. It was only later that she realized that Mark seemed to need her as much as she had needed him. There was a void in them both that only they could fill, Mark for her and Lexie for him. Initially, Lexie had seen his interest in her as physical; after all, what use would Mark Sloan have for the girl who couldn't even get her own sister to talk to her? Lexie only saw later how alone and isolated Mark truly was. He had Derek, sure, but theirs was a one-sided friendship dependent on Mark being the fuck-up. The same thing went for Callie. Neither of them really saw Mark. Lexie believed that they tried to be the best friend to him that they could, but they saw Mark as limited…and he was so much more than that.

It was Lexie that he talked and laughed with.

Lexie that he drank with and played darts with.

Lexie that he had told about Izzie…only Lexie.

She suspected that he would have told Callie about his feelings if it wasn't for her history with Izzie, but the point was that he hadn't. He only told Lexie.

And Lexie had always been one to add more significance to things than they merited. It was no wonder that she took his confidence and friendship and turned it into love in her mind, but it was done and there was no way to undo it.

When Lexie reached her car in the empty parking lot, she climbed in and drove towards Meredith's house. The ten minute drive was quickly accomplished while her mind replayed the previous night over and over.

She had been unaware of it at the time, but shortly after her second orgasm, she had fallen into a deep sleep. She had only been awakened a short time later to find Mark's head in a place that made her blush to think about.

Lexie had been wrong about how the night would turn out. It had been her assumption that she would have to take charge, that Mark was too emotionally upset to be more than a passive participant.

She had never been so glad to be wrong in her entire life.

Not only had Mark _not_ been passive, he had given her the most intense sexual experience of her life. And it hadn't been just the mind-blowing orgasms or the extreme pleasure; it had been the other parts too. The silent moments when he had cupped her face while moving inside her, the gentle kisses he pressed to her forehead in the aftermath, the way he had intertwined their fingers before falling asleep again.

He had been tender…and it made her love him even more.

It was so unfair that she had found the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with…but he wanted to be with someone else.

Lexie couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better to never know what she was missing. Then she could have lived the rest of her life in blissful ignorance, never truly aware of all that she could not have.

As Lexie pulled up in front of Meredith's house, the tears began to fall. She had really screwed up her life, but this time…she had no idea how to fix it.

* * *

When Mark finally opened his eyes, he had half convinced himself that it was all a dream. The idea that he had experienced the most satisfying sex of his life the night before seemed impossible, given the way the day had started. Mark lifted a hand to block out the sun streaming in through the gauze hotel curtains, and looked around his room. Everything seemed to be in the right place.

His keycard was sitting innocently on the bureau. The clothes he had worn the night before were spread out on the floor, but that too was nothing out of the ordinary. Mark scratched the side of his face and yawned, still not fully awake. It was only when he moved to get out of bed that he noticed something different. Reaching beneath his leg, Mark pulled out a scrape of purple lace. They were women's panties.

Lexie's panties.

He was suddenly wide awake as memories of the previous night came speeding back to his mind.

Oh, holy shit…he had sex with Lexie.

Mark stood, mindless of his nakedness, looking down at the purple fabric he was holding. The images flashing behind his eyes coalesced into one, and he closed his eyes as he remembered what had happened the night before. He had gotten drunk in the bar, and Lexie had come to keep him company. They drank for a bit, and then she kissed him. He remembered bringing her back to the hotel room only vaguely, as if that part hadn't been important to his memory, but from the moment she kissed him and took off his jacket…he could see it all with crystal clear quality.

Her lips pressing against his…his fingers in her hair…Her lips wrapped around his…

Mark snapped himself out of his reverie. How had this happened? He had sex with his best friend…four, no five, times the night before. As he remembered how she had felt, Mark smiled to himself…but then the smile faded from his face when he considered the fact that Lexie had left.

He had no idea how the previous night had happened, but one thing was clear to him, he wanted it to happen…again.

* * *

After a hurried shower, Mark rushed to the hospital, eager to talk to Lexie as soon as possible. His mind was running at a thousand miles a minute and he had now idea what he would say to her until he was standing in front of her, but he needed to see her.

He headed over to the nurses station to page her when he heard his name called.

"Mark!"

Turning, he saw Derek striding towards him. Mark clenched his hands into fists at his side, preparing for what he knew had to be coming.

"Where were you last night?" Derek asked, grinning at him.

Mark relaxed, realizing Derek had no way of knowing what happened between him and Lexie, and eased open his hands. He then shrugged and said, "Weddings aren't really my thing. I went to Joe's."

Derek sighed. "I should have figured. Was Lexie with you last night?"

Mark jerked in surprise. "What do you mean? Why do you ask that?"

"She left the reception not long after you did," Derek said with a sigh. "Izzie was kind of upset that she left."

Mark felt his stomach clench in guilt, as waves of self-loathing filled him at the thought of having ruined any part of Izzie's day. "Yeah," Mark said. "We were at Joe's together."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "You better not have done anything stupid."

"Not now, Derek," Mark said with a sigh. "I really don't want to hear it this morning. Let me just have one day where you don't warn me away from her."

"She is Meredith's sister," Derek stated, repeating the mantra he always spoke when he was bossing Mark around about her. "The last thing that she needs is for you to make her even more vulnerable than she already is."

Mark rolled his eyes. "You don't even know what you are talking about."

"Excuse me?" Derek asked, arching his eyebrows.

"You see Lexie as this delicate flower who could start crying at any minute," Mark said. "But she isn't like that at all. You underestimate her, Derek."

Derek sighed. "Whatever, I have to go. Craniotomy."

Mark waved him off with an annoyed flick of his fingers. He then asked the nurse at the station to page Lexie. When Lexie called back with her location, Mark headed down to the exam room she was coming out of.

The moment Mark saw her dark hair, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. He could now breathe again.

Looking at Lexie now, Mark was struck by how different she truly was from Izzie. True, they had the same positive attitude, but other than that…they were like fire and ice.

Izzie was all confidence and self-assurance. Her spine was as hard as steel, and she had worked for every break that she had got. He knew that she came from a working class background, and that her father had been absent. In Izzie, Mark saw a fighter. A woman who was never willing to stop reaching for what she wanted. She was a happy person, yes, but there was a sadness about her that Mark could relate to.

If she had an antithesis, Lexie was it. She moved quickly and stayed to the side, as if she was apologizing for taking up space in the world. Her mind was quick and sharp, but she seemed afraid to show it sometimes…like she didn't want people to discount her because she was smarter than they were. She had grown up in a nurturing home, and everything she did spoke to that. The way she loved, the way she cared for all her patients…she had been raised right. And if Mark was truly honest with himself, there was something about that which scared him.

He knew he was not Lexie's equal. No one who had done the things he had should touch a person like her, and that had been the thought racing through his mind all those months before when she had come to his hotel room bent on seducing him.

He had been thinking of Izzie, yes, but his love for Izzie had not stopped him from searching out nameless women, trying to fill that which he could not fill with her. But the real reason Mark had turned Lexie down that night was because he was not fit for her.

He had never wanted to be the one who broke her.

Looking at her now, as her wide eyes saw him for the first time, Mark felt a fierce protectiveness towards her which he could neither explain, nor understand.

"We need to talk," He said shortly, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her into to the empty on-call room across the hall.

"Hey, just because you are my friend doesn't mean you can manhandle me!" Lexie said, yanking her arm loose once they were inside and the door was closed.

"Oh, I think we both know I am more than your friend," Mark said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lexie froze. She had no idea how to respond, so she said, "Mark, whatever may or may not have happened last night…well, that was last night. We are friends and…it happened. It doesn't have to change anything."

Mark laughed. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

Lexie glared at him, perturbed that he wasn't agreeing with her easily. "We said it would just be one night, and then we wouldn't speak of it again."

"Did we?" Mark asked, scratching a hand over his beard. "I don't remember that part."

"Well, we did…or should have done," Lexie muttered. She had no idea why he was belaboring the point. After she had cried her eyes out that morning, she had snuck back into the house and gone immediately to the shower. Once there, she made herself the vow that she would not allow this one night they had to ruin their friendship. Lexie decided that Mark as her friend was better than no Mark at all. What she didn't understand was why he insisted on talking about it now…it only made forgetting all the harder.

"But we didn't," Mark said with a smirk. "And I can't think of anything I would rather talk about."

"Mark!" Lexie said, stamping her foot. "You might enjoy teasing me, but this is one thing that I don't think is very funny."

Mark's face sobered immediately. "It's not funny, Lexie. It is not funny at all. Do you know what I was thinking this morning?"

She shook her head.

"I was thinking that the only thing that could make last night more perfect is to repeat it again tonight." Mark moved across the room, backing Lexie against the door. He allowed their bodies to touch, but he didn't crowd her as he braced his hands against the door, effectively trapping her.

"Mark…" Lexie said, surprising herself with the husky quality of her voice. "Maybe we shouldn't… we are friends."

"Friends who fuck, apparently," Mark said with a grin.

Lexie squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, and then opened them again to see his handsome face looking at her with desire in his eyes. "I don't want to ruin our friendship," Lexie said, desperate to find any reason to stop this in its tracks.

Her heart wasn't strong enough for this.

"I spent the majority of last night inside you, Lexie," Mark breathed. "I think our friendship has taken a turn in a new direction."

"You and Callie stayed friends after you slept together," Lexie protested. Her eyes were wide and full of emotion. "I don't see why you and I are any different."

Mark pushed her completely into the door without further words. Ducking his head, he kissed her slowly, with a thoroughness that left her shaking and trembling when he finally pulled away. "Because you are not Callie," He murmured.

Lexie's heart squeezed when she saw the earnestness of his gaze.

He continued, "Things have changed now…we have changed now."

"Have we?" Lexie asked. "Does that mean you aren't in love with Izzie anymore?"

Mark frowned, not knowing how to respond to that. Standing in front of Lexie, the desire he felt for her was still present, pushing his love for Izzie from his mind.

If he was honest with himself, which he hardly ever was, on the way to the hospital Mark had been comparing the night he spent with Izzie to the one he had with Lexie.

Izzie had been passionate, yes, but there had been a hurried and desperate quality to her, as if she was trying to forget something as she kissed his lips. She took and took, and while captivating, it only left Mark satisfied in the physical sense. With Lexie, there couldn't have been a different experience. She gave everything and left nothing for herself, and each action was more enchanting than the last. Her body seemed to revel in touching him, just as much as if he had touched her. There was nothing hurried, nothing to be rushed, only the simplistic feeling of desire.

But mostly importantly, there had been a moment when Mark looked into Lexie's eyes and he _saw_ her. She was there for every moment, always present. She wasn't using him to forget sad memories, but rather to create new ones. For that night, Lexie had given herself utterly and completely into his care.

But as bewitching as it was, he couldn't say he no longer loved Izzie, could he? "I have been in love with her for a year, Lexie," Mark stated, his eyes meeting hers steadily.

She seemed to deflate before him.

"A person doesn't fall in and out of love over night," He said, but his voice didn't sound so sure. "What I feel for Izzie though…that has nothing to do with us."

Lexie looked up into his deep blue eyes, and was lost…just as she always was when she looked at him. "I can't be a substitute for her, Mark," Lexie managed to get out.

"I am not asking you to be," Mark said.

Lexie opened her mouth to respond, but the protest died on her lips when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Mark," She murmured, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Lexie," He responded, ducking his head and lowering his lips to hers.

In that moment…Izzie Stevens, now Karev, was the last thing on his mind.

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	4. Sometimes It Feels Like The Wall's

_**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, I am glad so many of you like the direction this story is going in. It is so much fun to write. I want to give a little shout out to Mere for allowing me to bounce ideas off of her. You are awesome sauce, babe!**_

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_Chapter Four - Sometimes It Feels Like the Wall's Closing In_

Lexie was sure that she was going to spontaneously combust on the spot. Her heart felt like it was beating a million miles a minute, and her breaths were coming in gasps. Mark's fingers seemed to know no boundaries as they wandered over her body without stopping. Lacing them through her sleek hair, he looked down at her upturned face.

"Tell me to stop," He murmured, dropping kisses along her jaw. The silky skin of her face felt so good against his lips, like the whisper of gossamer. "Tell me that you don't crave this, need this."

"Mark," Lexie whispered.

He pulled away and looked into her beautiful, dark eyes. "You have to say it, Lex. I don't have the strength to walk away on my own."

Lexie's brain was working a thousand miles a minute. She thought of all her plans, and how foolish it was to take a risk on a _chance_ at happiness, knowing full well that Mark might never love her back. He was asking her to leap without a parachute, and damn if Lexie didn't want to. She had never been reckless before meeting Mark, but now it almost felt like something she should embrace.

What was it Mark always said? Life's too short.

Truer words had never been spoken, and to Lexie's mind, she was too far gone to turn back now. A small smile played about her lips as she said, "Kiss me, Mark."

He needed no further encouragement. Ducking his head, Mark claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss. He didn't know why, but there was something about Lexie which made Mark want to claim her…to let her know that she was his. Which was ridiculous, of course. Lexie didn't belong to him, anymore than he belonged to her…but still, the feeling was there.

They soon would have moved on to removing their scrubs, but Mark's pager interrupted them.

"Fuck," He swore. Looking down at the pager, Mark groaned. "I am being paged to the pit." Looking at Lexie, Mark smiled, cupping her face. "Will you come to my hotel room later?"

Lexie nodded. "Later."

Mark kissed her again briefly and then left.

Once the door was closed, Lexie slid down against the door and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Life was about to get very interesting.

* * *

When Mark got down to the pit, he found Bailey manning the desk. "You paged me?"

"Over there, behind the curtain," Bailey said, indicating the far part of the pit. She was distracted, or Mark would have asked more questions.

Mark took the chart her handed him, looking down at it, but not at the patient's name. Perhaps that was why he was so shocked when he pulled back the curtain and saw Izzie sitting on the stretcher, with Alex holding her hand.

"Stevens," Mark said, in shock.

"That's Karev now," Alex said, kissing Izzie's hair with a smirk.

"Right," Mark said, looking at the laceration on her arm. "What the hell happened to you?"

Izzie looked up at him for the first time, her brown eyes meeting his like a punch in the gut. Mark felt his palms grow moist, but he forced himself to have no reaction that was visible. She smiled weakly at him, and said, "I fell this morning as we were getting ready to leave."

"Leave?" Mark parroted, so struck by seeing her that he wasn't able to follow.

"For the honeymoon," Alex clarified with a grin. "We were walking down the stairs when Izzie slipped. Scared Meredith half to death," He said with a laugh.

Mark nodded, and then pulled up a stool. "You were right to page me," He said, becoming all business. "This would have left a nasty scar."

"I would have done it myself," Alex said with a grin, "But we didn't have sutures at the house."

Mark tried not to do anything except focus on Izzie's arm, but being that near to her was difficult. Izzie seemed to sense this, because she aimed one of her beaming smiles towards Alex, and said, "Will you go get me a bagel from the cafeteria?"

"Sure," Alex said, his post-wedding bliss oozing from every pore. "I will be back soon, Mrs. Karev." He kissed her as Mark fought the urge to gag.

Once he was gone, Izzie focused her soft eyes on Mark. She was silent for a moment as she regarded him, but then said, "You left the reception very early."

There was no rebuke in her voice, but the gentle statement of fact. Mark looked up at her, away from her arm, and tried to guess what emotion lay behind the mask of her face.

He cleared his throat, and said, "Weddings aren't really my thing…I was there for the ceremony."

"Thank you," Izzie said softly. "You didn't even have to come for that…but I am glad you did."

Mark swallowed, trying to breathe through his nose and take deep calming gasps of air. "Yeah, well, I was surprised you invited me in the first place. I didn't think brides liked having reminders of their past at their weddings."

Izzie shifted uneasily. "Umm, yeah. Actually, that was more…"

Mark suddenly laughed. "It wasn't you, was it? It was Karev."

"Alex likes you," Izzie replied.

"Bullshit," Mark growled. "Karev likes Plastics, nothing more." Looking at Izzie, Mark felt as if something had shifted, but he knew not what. "Tell me Izzie, is your husband overlooking your indiscretion with me because he is so hungry for Plastics, or have you been keeping something from him?"

Izzie's face showed no emotion. "There is nothing for him to know, Mark."

"Why the hell did you marry him?" Mark asked, pure confusion on his features. "I never could figure that part out. Why you were so eager to marry him, I mean."

" It was one night," Izzie said, completely dodging his question. "We need to forget it. The only person who is making it into more is you."

Mark smiled self-deprecatingly. "You know what Izzie? For the life of me…I can't remember why."

"Mark, I don't want you to hate me," Izzie said, her voice lowering an octave. "I just wish…"

"You wish what?" Mark asked, more curious than eager.

"I wish that you could see that night the way I do." As Mark did the last suture, she sighed and lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. "It was just sex, Mark. Nothing more."

Had Mark been looking at her, he would have seen the conflict in her eyes. But he was looking at her arm, making sure he had done it perfectly, so all he only _heard_ her statement.

Lifting his head, Mark looked at her and said. "You're right."

"What?" Izzie asked, surprised that he had agreed with her.

"It was just sex, you are right," Mark repeated. "I built it up to something else in my head, but I think that was partly because you rejected me."

Izzie stared at him open-mouthed.

Mark wrapped her arm in gauze and then said, "There. You are all done. Have a wonderful time on your honeymoon."

Alex walked up at that moment and handed Izzie the bagel that she requested. "Awesome, you done?"

"Yep," Mark said, looking Izzie steadily in the eyes. "We are all done here."

As he walked away, Mark fought the urge to turn around and look at Izzie, but he knew there was no point. She was lost to him now, and he couldn't keep living in the past. Yes, he loved Izzie. Mark wondered if there wasn't some part of him that would always love Izzie…but there was nothing to be gained by dwelling on that.

He had to keep living.

Mark suddenly had the urge to see Lexie.

* * *

Sex and pizza. Two of Mark's favorite things, which he was sharing with one of his favorite people. Once Mark had gotten Lexie back to his hotel room that night, he had taken her straight to bed without pausing for words. There was nothing much different about that than any woman he hooked up with, but this…this part in the after…this was different. The two of them were sitting on Mark's hotel bed, with a pizza box sitting between them. It wasn't much different from the other times they had pizza together…except for the fact that they were both practically naked. Lexie was in his large black dress shirt with only two strategic buttons in the front done up. And Mark, clad in only his boxer briefs, was content to watch her as she devoured the pizza in her hand.

"How can you eat that?" Mark asked, slightly grossed out. "It has fungi on it."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "They are called mushrooms, Mark. And they are a topping offered by every pizza parlor. I am hardly the only person who likes mushrooms on her pizza."

"Still," Mark said, pretending to shudder. "You are ingesting a pizza with a fungus growing off of it, and bell peppers…I'd be concerned."

"Oh, and you are so much better," Lexie returned. "With your Meatlover's pizza. Hello, heart attack, party of one."

Mark grinned. "You are just jealous because my pizza looks better, and yours looks like grass is growing on it."

She rolled her eyes again. "Must you always make everything a competition?"

"I must," Mark replied. "I really must."

Lexie polished off her piece of pizza, sucking the stray tomato sauce off of her fingers and moaning in his direction.

"Okay, you just don't play fair," Mark whined.

Lexie smiled happily to herself, and Mark quickly moved the box off the bed. Then, without warning, he grabbed Lexie and pulled her onto his lap. She squealed in surprise, and he then rolled them over so that he was on top, resting between her parted thighs.

"This doesn't mean anything. You are bigger and stronger, but I am still superior," She declared with a grin.

Mark gave her an answering smile and then said, "Damn it, woman; don't you ever stop talking?"

"Have you met me?" Lexie asked, with mock seriousness.

He chuckled. "True enough. You know, I had Derek warn me away from you again today."

"You told him?" Lexie asked in surprise, her eyes wide.

"No," Mark clarified, "But he sees fit to warn me away from you on a regular basis."

"What a busy body," Lexie said with a grin, shaking her head.

"I know!" Mark exclaimed. "He seems to think I will talk advantage of you."

"Unfathomable," Lexie said.

"Totally…little does he know that you seduced me."

"What? Me?" Lexie said with mock surprise. "I would never."

"Sure…" Mark said with a laugh.

"It was just sex, Mark," Lexie said with a teasing laugh. "Get over it already."

The laughter suddenly faded from Mark's face and he pulled away from her.

"What is it?" Lexie asked, sensing the change in him. "What's wrong?"

"Izzie said the same thing to me today," Mark said, still not looking at her.

Lexie felt her heart sink. _Izzie_. It felt as though they would never get away from her. All the happiness, which had filled Lexie moments before, slipped away as she looked at the dejected look of Mark's shoulders.

"You saw Izzie?" She asked. "I thought she went on her honeymoon."

"She cut her arm on the way…came into the ER for stitches."

"Oh," Lexie said, not knowing how to respond. "Well, good."

"Good?" Mark repeated, turning to look at her with confusion on his face.

"I am happy you got to see her," Lexie said.

Mark groaned. "Don't do that, Lexie."

"Do what?"

"Don't excuse this. Fuck…" Mark didn't know how he wanted Lexie to act…maybe he just wanted her to care a little.

"I am not excusing it, Mark," Lexie said. "What do you want me to do? Scream and yell at you? Tell you not to see her? You and I both know that I have no right to do that. We are friends, Mark. I have no right to make any demands on you."

"We are sleeping together, Lexie," Mark said. "You do have rights."

"We have been to bed together on two separate nights, Mark," Lexie said. "Any rights I have are few and far between. I knew what I was getting into when I came back to your hotel room last night. I know the score."

"And you are okay with that?" Mark asked, thinking there was something so wrong about Lexie having to settle. "This is why this is a bad idea, Lexie."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, look. We have slept together twice, and I have already proved all the reasons I am not fit to touch you." Self-loathing filled his voice.

"Stop it, Mark," Lexie said quietly. "Like we said…it was I who seduced you."

"Lexie," Mark said, warningly. "I could have resisted you if I had really wanted to."

Hope flared in her chest. "You mean you didn't want to?"

"Of course not," Mark said. "I have wanted to sleep with you for a while." He suddenly realized what he had said, and snapped his mouth shut.

Lexie stared at him in shock. "You're kidding me."

"No," Mark said with a sigh.

"But you love Izzie," Lexie said.

"But she doesn't love me," Mark said. He seemed to be weighing his words as he looked at her, as if he was afraid of giving too much away. "You are a gorgeous woman, Lexie. I would have to be dead not to be deeply attracted to you."

"But that night… when I came to your hotel room… you pushed me away."

"Because I didn't want to wreck our friendship," Mark said.

She smiled ruefully. "I think it's wrecked now."

Mark grinned, but then looked at her seriously. "Can we start the night over? No talk of Izzie, no talk of the elephant that seems to constantly be in the room with us…can we just be Mark and Lexie?"

She smiled, and nodded. He grinned, and then dove towards her, pinning her to the bed.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Mark looked down at Lexie's smiling face and said, "You make me laugh, Lexie."

She smiled. "We are friends."

"Yeah," Mark said, thinking that word was too inadequate to describe them anymore. "Friends."

"Kiss me," Lexie commanded.

Mark grinned and complied.

They then stopped talking for a while.

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	5. O Lord, What Can I Say?

**_Thank you to Mere and Nak for brainstorming with me. I really needed it! And thank you to Haydee for her review. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Mr. Big Stuff, indeed!_**

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_Chapter Five - __O Lord, What Can I Say?_

Waking up in the arms of Mark Sloan was not something that Lexie was going to get used to any time soon. Considering that less than four days before she had believed that any potential romance between the two of them would only ever occur in her fantasies, opening her eyes to the warm reality of him would take some getting used to.

Shifting slightly on the bed, Lexie let out a small sigh.

"Are you awake?" Mark whispered.

Lexie jumped slightly, surprised. "Yes." She could feel his warm breath on the nape of her neck as she whispered, "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Mark said. "This is normally the time that I head to the gym."

Lexie hummed contentedly, running her fingers along the skin of his arm which was wrapped around her midsection. "Am I keeping you from your workout?"

"I think you gave me all the workout I need last night."

Lexie could hear the smirk in his voice and it caused her to smile in return, though he could not see it. "Oh, poor baby."

She could feel him grinning against her neck as he began to press kisses along her spine. "I am so misused," Mark said, running his tongue along her vertebrae.

"Hmmm…"

Mark then flipped Lexie over so that she was underneath him. When he saw her eyes, he smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," Lexie said, giving him a shy smile. "You should be my alarm clock every time I wake up."

"That can be arranged," Mark said as he circled her belly button with his tongue.

Lexie arched her back and threaded her fingers through his hair. "That is a lot of mornings filled with perfection."

"I'm up for it, if you are," Mark murmured against her skin.

Realizing what they had just said, Lexie stilled Mark's face with her hands. "What are we saying?"

"You need a recap?" Mark asked.

"I just want to make sure we are on the same page," Lexie replied, not wanting to read anything into early morning confessions.

"We are friends who fuck," Mark said. "And I think we should be friends who only fuck each other."

"You're serious," Lexie said, surprise evident in her voice.

"Very," Mark responded.

"So…anyone else would be…"

"Off-limits," Mark supplied.

"And all the nurses on the third and fourth floors?"

"Have to find someone else to make their day," Mark said, his chin resting on her stomach as he looked at her.

"Please don't take this the wrong way…but are you sure you can do this?" Lexie asked. "I don't mind things the way they are, but if we change them and something happens…"

"You would be upset," Mark stated.

"More than upset," Lexie said. "I just don't want to change things unless you are really sure that you want this."

"I want this," Mark replied. "But you need to know, Lex…I would never do anything to hurt you, not intentionally anyway."

"I know that," Lexie said, pulling his head down to hers. She kissed him, headless of anything but him. They moved together, leisurely, allowing their bodies to connect slowly, but with deliberate movements.

Afterward, when Mark was once again resting his head on her belly, he said, "You are my best friend," He laced her fingers through hers and rested them next to his head on her belly.

"And you are mine," She softly returned.

"So, no matter what…we will be friends."

"Yes," Lexie replied. "No matter what."

* * *

"Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Three weeks later, Lexie stared down at the flimsy piece of plastic in her hand. How was it possible that her entire life had been changed in one moment? Never one to give in to panic, Lexie was nevertheless panicking. Two garish pink lines were glaring up at her from the pregnancy test she was holding in her hand.

She was pregnant.

Oh, God…she was really pregnant.

The last week of her life suddenly made so much more sense. Lexie hadn't been sick, but vague nausea had plagued her for a few days. She had also been utterly exhausted, so much so that Mark had started to comment on it. Lexie wondered if Mark would have even noticed, but she fell asleep during sex, which had been a sure way to get his attention.

That night, as they had been in the throes, Lexie had woken to the feel of him shaking her shoulders.

"You fell asleep," Mark accused, shock on his face.

"What? I did not," Lexie said, shaking her head.

"You were snoring," Mark said, pointing a finger at her.

Lexie had shot up in bed. "I do NOT snore!"

"Do too," he replied, crossing his arms in annoyance. "You make this little whistling sound when you breathe out."

"This is ridiculous," Lexie said, "I wasn't sleeping."

"Check for drool."

Lexie had swiped her chin with her hand, and then looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry."

"I knew you were sleeping," Mark said, plopping down next to her.

"I'm sorry," Lexie said, contritely. "I am just so tired."

"Yang working you hard?"

"No more so than usual," Lexie murmured, closing her eyes. "I think I just need rest."

"Sleep, Lexie," Mark had said, kissing her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

He had teased her later that she fell asleep on him again, but he seemed to find it funny more than anything else. Lexie had been relieved; she was too tired to deal with the minefield which was the male ego.

But now, looking down at the test in her hand, it all made sense.

She was going to be a mother.

And Mark Sloan was the father.

Tears gathered in Lexie's eyes as she considered the possible ramifications of all this. Mark was barely committed to being sexually monogamous with her…when he found out she had gotten pregnant…the thought was too horrible to contemplate.

Lexie knew that in all likelihood, she was going to lose the man that she loved. But at this moment, she couldn't feel sad about that. She was going to have a baby.

Leaving the stall, Lexie walked out to look at herself in the mirror, the pregnancy test still clutched in her it down by the sink, she turned to the side and placed a hand over her flat stomach. There was nothing to see now, but Lexie knew that within a matter of months, it was going to be very obvious that she was pregnant. The thought was thrilling to her. She had always wanted to be a mother, but she had assumed she would have to wait till the end of her residency and after her practice had been set up. But she almost liked it better this way. Yes, it was a horrible time to be a mom…but she was going to have a baby.

Mark Sloan's baby.

And there was something sort of perfect about that.

* * *

Later that day, Mark and Lexie were standing in the middle of OR 2. Mark was in the middle of resecting a tumor from his patient's throat when he said, "Suction."

Lexie didn't move.

"Suction, Dr. Grey," Mark repeated.

Still no response.

Mark turned his head, and loudly spoke, "Dr. Grey!"

Lexie's eyes snapped open, and she realized that she had fallen asleep in the middle of a surgery.

Mark was livid. No one was allowed to mess around in his OR, not even his best friend who he was sleeping with. "I am sorry, Dr. Grey," Mark snapped. "Are we wasting your time today?"

"No, Dr. Sloan," Lexie said, moving forward to provide the suction he had requested.

"If you don't want to be here Dr. Grey, I am sure there are plenty of interns ready to take your place."

"I am sorry, Dr. Sloan," Lexie said, "It won't happen again." She angled her head down to hide the tears which had pooled in her eyes, but Mark saw them anyway.

They didn't say anything for the rest of the surgery, causing the scrub nurses to look at each other in confusion.

Once they were alone in the scrub room, Mark turned to Lexie with an annoyed look on his face. "Okay, that can't happen again."

"What?" Lexie asked, her mind thinking about the best way to approach telling Mark about the baby.

"You fell asleep, Lexie!" Mark exclaimed. "What the hell is going on with you? First you fall asleep during sex, and now this?"

"I'm sorry," Lexie said, "I have just been very tired lately."

Mark's brow furrowed. "Are you sick? Do you have the flu?"

"Not exactly," Lexie hedged.

He suddenly got a panicked look on his face. "What does that mean? Lexie, are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"Calm down, Mark," Lexie said. "Yes, I need to see a doctor, but no I am not sick."

"Okay, what the hell does that mean?" Mark asked, his voice raising. "I don't speak girl."

"It means…" Lexie tried to think of a way to break this as gently as possible. "Remember that night…the night of the wedding…how we…you know."

"Fucked, screwed, went at it like there was no tomorrow?" Mark supplied.

"Yes," Lexie said, blushing. "Well, umm, you know how we did it multiple times that night?"

"Yeah," Mark said, a reminiscent grin appearing on his face. "I remember."

"Well, not one of those times did we use a condom," Lexie blurted.

The smiled and the blood slowly left Mark's face, until he was as white as a sheet. "Oh, hell," he said, looking at her in shock. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yeah," Lexie said. "I am. I took a pregnancy test this morning."

"But those can sometimes be inaccurate, right?" Mark asked, his voice slightly raised.

Lexie tried to hide the hurt that she felt. "I also had a blood test." She reached into the pocket of her scrubs and handed him the folded up piece of white paper. "I _am _pregnant, Mark."

Mark looked down at the paper, carefully reading the results.

As his eyes scanned thoroughly over the page, Lexie's heart sank. He was looking for an out. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, desperate to know what he was thinking, but too scared to ask.

She suddenly started laughing as tears fell down her cheeks.

Mark's head snapped up. "What is so funny?"

"This, you, us…but most of all, me" Lexie gasped out, still laughing. "My life is a fucking cosmic joke. I had the perfect life until I heard the name Seattle Grace. Then my mother dies, my sister drops off the face of the earth, my dad turns into an alcoholic. I fell in love with my best friend, and he is in love with another woman! And now, I am pregnant after a drunken night, and for three weeks we have pretended that a fake relationship is better than the real thing!"

Mark looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. She loved him? How was that even possible? There was no way that someone like her loved someone like him. He couldn't even been to think of a way to formulate a reply.

Lexie took his silence for rejection, and the tears continued to fall in steady streams. She took a tremulous breath, and looked at him with a sad smile, "So remember how we said that we would stay friends no matter what?"

He nodded; there simply weren't words to say what he felt.

"We are both horrible liars," Lexie whispered, brushing by him on the way out of the scrub room.

Mark could only stand there, clutching the test results in his hand.

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_**Review Please!!**_


	6. I Am So Sad Since You Went Away

_**Hello All! Sorry for no update yesterday, I was finishing up my finals for the semester. So glad to be done now. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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_Chapter Six - I Am So Sad Since You Went Away_

Tears blinded her as she rushed down the hallway, headless of where she was going. Lexie considered this just further evidence of how spectacularly her life had gone to shit. Oh God, what was she going to do? She was pregnant by a man who didn't want to be a father to her baby, and in the process, she had probably lost her best friend as well. Moving as fast as she could, Lexie entered the stairwell and ran up four flights until she was just outside the Maternity floor. She didn't mean to end up there, but it was rather fitting. Lexie backed herself into the corner of the stairwell and let loose the tears that had been filling her eyes.

Lexie supposed that she should have been prepared for this. Getting rejected was something she was good at, and Mark had certainly made it clear that he enjoyed their relationship without complications.

This was _definitely_ a complication.

But part of Lexie, that secret part of her that was still an optimist no matter how many times she had been disappointed, had wanted to believe that this would be a good thing. Her entire life, she had believed that things happened for a reason. When her life took a nose dive in her twenties, it had been hard to maintain that worldview, but she had all the same. And now she was pregnant with Mark's baby. That had to be some sort of sign, right?

Lexie touched the flatness of her stomach. A baby. That was something. Even if it wasn't planned, even if it wasn't the best timing, still…she was having a baby with the man that she loved.

If only he loved her.

The tears, which had begun to dry, started anew. Lexie wondered if this was what the rest of her life would be like…crying in stairwells because Mark didn't want their child.

* * *

It only took a minute before Mark was racing out of the scrub room, desperate to find Lexie. His heart was beating so loudly, he could've sworn that everyone on the surgical floor could hear it. Damn it, that was not the way this should have gone! Mark wanted so badly to take back the last five minutes of his life so he could react to the news of his impending fatherhood all over again. He knew he hadn't reacted well; damn it, he knew that. But it had been such a shock.

Though he had replayed that night over and over in his head, Mark had never stopped to think about the fact that they hadn't used protection. Sure, he had made sure that they had every time after that, but their first night together had been so incredible, it hadn't even registered.

Which was absurd, really.

He was Mark Sloan for fuck's sake. They practically had his picture on the Trojan box. If anyone was a poster boy for "No glove, no love" it was him. Despite what some people might assume, he had never gotten an STD because he really was that fucking careful.

But with Lexie, thoughts of protection hadn't even registered.

Not stopping to contemplate what that meant, Mark furiously scanned the hallway for Lexie's small form. When he didn't see her, he went running around the corner and crashed headlong into another moving body.

Once he had his equilibrium back, Mark looked down at George O'Malley and glared. "O'Malley," He barked.

"Sir?" George asked, his voice pained as he stood up from having been knocked down. Jesus, was Sloan made entirely of pure muscle? That felt like being hit by a linebacker.

"Have you seen Dr. Grey?"

"She is in surgery with Dr. Shepherd," George replied. "They started two hours ago. It is a craniotomy though, so they should be done soon."

Mark glared. "The _other_ Dr. Grey. Little Grey. You know, the one you lived with for a period of time."

"Oh, Lexie," George said, as if it hadn't even occurred to him to think of her. "Yeah, I just saw her head into the west stairwell." George's eyes narrowed, as if he had thought of something for the first time. "She looked upset."

"Fuck," Mark swore under his breath, but George heard him.

"What did you do to her?"

Mark looked at George, surprised O'Malley had the nerve to speak to him like that. "That is none of your business."

"Lexie is my business," George said, puffing out his chest.

"Oh, yeah?" Mark asked, a dangerous look coming over his face. "And how do you figure that, exactly?"

"She is one of my best friends," George said, ignoring the fact that he hadn't had a conversation longer than five minute with her in over four months.

Mark glared at him. "Sure she is. That is why she spent all that time crying over you last fall when you were treating her like shit."

"Lexie and I went through a rough patch," George said. "It happens to all friendships."

Mark thought George seemed even more pathetic than usual as he tried to defend the way he had treated Lexie like shit. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Whatever. Don't you have medicine to practice?" With that, he walked off heading to the stairwell. There was a place out side the Maternity floor where Mark had once found Lexie doing charts. His guessed was that was where she was, probably hating him.

Once Mark entered the stairwell, his gait slowed as he tried to formulate exactly what he wanted to say when he saw her. As his heavy feet climbed the stairs, Mark's mind seemed to blank. Leaving him utterly unprepared for the conversation he was about to have. He knew he should think of something, anything, to make up for the way he had acted, but terror and happiness were so combined within him that he hardly had room for the contrition he knew Lexie deserved.

As he suspected, he found Lexie curled into a ball on the landing, just outside the Maternity floor.

"Lexie," He whispered hoarsely.

She looked up, the surprise at seeing him covering his face.

"I'm sorry," He said, surprising even himself. Mark couldn't believe it. He was Mark Sloan and he never apologized, and yet here he was, apologizing. Lexie was a good influence on him, that was certain.

"For what?" Lexie asked, wiping the tears on her face. "You were honest, Mark. You are always honest with me. You shouldn't have to apologize for that."

"I'm not," Mark said. "I am apologizing for the fact that I didn't have a chance to tell you just exactly how great I think this is."

"What?" She gasped.

"I was in shock, Lex. If I had more time to think I would have told you… I would have told you I am not upset, quite the opposite." Mark sat down next to her, brushing the sides of their hips together. The next words he spoke were some of the most difficult of his life. "That is, of course…if you are keeping it."

Mark tried to prepare himself for the possibility that he had completely misread the situation and that Lexie, like Addison, would find his baby disposable.

Lexie looked at him, seeing the uncertainty on his face. "I am keeping it, Mark. This is our baby. I couldn't ever get rid of our baby. I am sorry if it doesn't fit into your plans, and I am sorry that you are having the baby with _me_, but I—"

"Hey," Mark said, taking her hand, as relief went spiraling through him. "Don't do that. You are right, this baby doesn't fit into my plans, but that is because I have no plans. I have been without plans for a while now, it might be nice to have them again."

"Really?" Lexie asked, a smile filling her face as she began to feel hope again.

"Really," Mark stated, kissing her forehead. "And as for this other business about not wanting a baby with _you_, that is just nonsense. I can't think of anyone I would rather have a baby with."

There was silence then as they both thought of Izzie, but it was for entirely different reasons.

Lexie was convinced that Mark was only saying that to spare her feelings. It was obvious to her that Izzie would always be the preferred choice to him to have his kids, but Lexie had to let that go. _She_ was the one pregnant with Mark's child, not Izzie. That would have to be enough.

Mark's thoughts too strayed to Izzie, but that was because he was surprised at how true what he had said to Lexie was. There _was_ no one he would rather have a baby with, and that shocked the hell out of him. Lexie was his best friend, yes, but he was in love with Izzie. Shouldn't he want to have babies with her? Mark thought that her being pregnant with his kid would only make him nervous though. She would probably spend the whole pregnancy telling him just how much he could and could not be involved. Probably draw up custody arrangements and make sure that Mark never had the child for more than his allotted time.

But Mark knew that Lexie would never do that.

She would want him there for all of it.

"Can we really do this?" Lexie asked, her voice breaking into the silence. "Or is this going to change everything?"

"This _will_ change everything, Lex," Mark said. "There is no doubt about that. But that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. We will have this baby and still be friends. If anyone can do it, we can."

"Friends," Lexie said with a smile, her heart sinking. "Yes, we will be friends."

Mark gave her a smile that caused her stomach to dance. "Good," he said. "The one thing I would never want is to lose you as a friend."

"You won't," Lexie said. "One thing we will always be is friends."

Sighing with relief, Mark wrapped an arm around Lexie's shoulder, leaning back against the wall with her. As much as he had wanted to say something about her other declaration, Mark wasn't about to do that to her. It was obvious that Lexie had been upset, and she had just blurted out that part about loving him. Mark was certain that nothing could be further from the truth. He knew that there was simply no way that Lexie was in love with him. After all, he was Mark Sloan.

For what possible reason could she be in love with him?

"There is a lot for us to talk about," Lexie said.

"Yeah," Mark responded. "And we will."

"Good."

"Hey Lexie?"

"Yeah, Mark?"

"We are going to be parents."

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_**Please Review!**_


	7. Time Time Ticking On Me

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_Chapter Seven - Time Time Ticking On Me_

"I wish we could just go away."

Lexie's voice echoed in the emptiness of the stairwell, causing Mark to clutch her closer with his left arm, which was around her shoulders. He kissed the smooth brown hair on her head, breathing in the fresh smell of her and said, "Where?"

"It doesn't matter, just so long as it is far, far away."

There was a wistful quality in her voice which reminded Mark of how he had been as a child. It was very similar to the times when he had huddled in his bed before rising to turn on all the lights in the house. He had always wished to be far, far away. Whispering, he said, "We should go then. No need to stay here."

"Wouldn't that be nice," Lexie commented sliding one of her legs out in front of her, shaking it so that it didn't fall asleep. "Somewhere that no one knows us. We could just start over."

"Just say the word and we can leave," Mark said.

"What about work?" Lexie asked, a smile tinting her words with warmth. "We can't just leave it behind."

"Sure we can," Mark said. "Screw Seattle Grace…this place doesn't need us."

Lexie giggled, enjoying the fantasy. "We could go be part of Doctors Without Borders. Help rustic villagers in the wilds of Cambodia."

"Or we could head to Miami," Mark dryly replied. "I hear it's nice there. Plenty for a Plastic Surgeon to do."

"Maybe the Caymans… I would love to live on a tropical island."

"Just as long as there are good schools for the baby," Mark replied. "I am good to go."

Lexie's face split into a wide grin, which she was thankful Mark could not see in the dim lighting of the stairwell. That was the first time he had mentioned the baby on his own without her bringing it up first. That seemed like a good sign to her. "Okay, good schools…we'll make sure."

"Good," Mark said with a chuckle, then he sobered and said, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to go 'far, far away'?"

Easing closer to him, Lexie breathed, "It would just be easier, I guess. I don't really want to deal with what is coming."

"What is coming?" Mark asked.

"The judgments, the gossip… when people find out I am pregnant, they are not going to be kind," Lexie said.

Mark squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that he were another man who would not cause her this type of pain. "We don't have to tell anyone until you are ready, Lex."

"Yeah, I know," She said. "Plus, it is not really a good idea to tell anyone until after the first trimester anyway. I just wish we could put it off indefinitely."

"Hmm," Mark said noncommittally. "Are you afraid of what people will say?"

"Yeah," Lexie said. Mark felt his heart twist painfully as Lexie continued, "So many people are going to judge me and think I am stupid."

Mark tried to remember to breathe.

"They are so going to Mommy-track me," Lexie said. "People are going to think my surgical career is over before it began."

Relief filled him as Mark realized that she hadn't been referring to him.

"At least I am doing this with you," Lexie said, filling that anxious part of him with something warm and wonderful. "I couldn't pick a person I would rather have a child with."

"You would be alone in that sentiment," Mark said self-deprecatingly. "I don't think I would be most women's pick for the father of their child."

Lexie made a disparaging sound in her throat. "Well, most women are idiots. Happily, I am not an idiot and I can see what a wonderful father you will make. You have so much love to give Mark."

Mark shifted uneasily, feeling uncomfortable with the shift in the conversation. "Well, I will try anyway. That counts for something, right?"

"It counts for everything," Lexie replied.

Mark wondered if it was really necessary to see her face, when everything he needed to know…he could hear in her voice.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Mark kept Lexie's hand securely intertwined with his, not caring who saw, as he was tugging her through the hallway. The moment he saw an on-call room, he opened the door and pulled her inside.

"They'll be talking about us now," Lexie whispered, her voice lowering to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"Let them," Mark replied. "I couldn't give a fuck what other people think at this particular moment."

"How do you do that?" Lexie asked, tilting her head.

"How do I do what?" Mark responded, opening the curtains to let the red light from the setting sun flood the room.

"You divorce yourself from caring what other people think about you. How…how do you do that?"

"Lexie," Mark said, turning to face her. "I am an endless cause of gossip in this hospital. If I cared about half the things people said about me, I would go totally nuts. You need to stop worrying about being Mommy-tracked or anything else, especially not the gossip. I can't afford to care about it, and now…now neither can you."

"What do you mean?" Lexie asked.

"The baby," Mark said, crossing the room and placing his hand over her abdomen. "Stress is bad for it, right?"

"Right," Lexie responded, her voice breathy.

"So no more stress then," Mark said calmly. "I don't want anything to happen."

Tears filled Lexie's eyes. She had no idea he could be so paternal so easily. "Mark," She whispered reverently.

He surprised her then by gently pulling the material of her scrub top over her head and tossing it away. But instead of taking her in his arms, he lowered himself to his knees, gently tracing the flat skin of her belly with the tips of his fingers. After a moment, Mark pressed his lips to her stomach. When he finally looked up at her, his eyes were filled with an emotion he couldn't vocalize, and _she_ could not begin to understand.

"Lexie," He whispered.

"Yes?"

"I need you to tell me the truth. Are you keeping this baby no matter what?"

There was a stark need and fear in his voice that surprised her. She could say nothing but, "No matter what, Mark."

Tension seemed to leave his shoulders, and he kissed her belly again.

Lexie threaded her fingers through his hair, and tilted his head so that he was looking at her. "We are having this baby, Mark. You are going to be a father."

"I was almost a father once before," He confessed, not looking at her.

His words exploded like a bomb in the room. She was too smart not to know what they meant, and the way he said it seemed to imply that he would have wanted nothing more to be a father to that nameless baby. But the way he said it spoke to the _reason_ he was not a father as well.

Lexie sucked in her breath, and lowered herself to her knees, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Oh, Mark," She said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I am so sorry."

He tried to push her away, his emotions rising in him, suffocating him, but she would not be dislodged. Lexie held tightly to him, refusing to let go. His shoulders were shuddering with unspoken emotion, but eventually he relaxed in her embrace. She suspected that he was crying, but she had nothing but her suspicions since his face was now buried in her hair, and he was clutching to her just as tightly as she was to him.

"It's going to be alright," She whispered, still stroking his hair. "You're alright now."

Mark pulled back slightly, and his hands came up to cup her face. When Lexie saw the stark need and want that was on his face, she did the only thing she could think of.

She kissed him.

If the past three weeks had taught her anything, it was that she had known nothing of the passion she was capable of. But now, at this moment, even the past three weeks began to fade away in the reality of this kiss.

Within moments, Mark took control of the kiss…and then she lost the ability to think.

Mark's mouth moved hungrily against hers, his tongue possessing her, taking her to the edge of pleasure and pain. He had clutched her against him again. In one fluid moment, he yanked off his shirt, allowing his naked torso to touch against hers. The lace of her bra rasped the hair on his chest, but it only added to the sensations that were coursing through them both.

His lips captured her, imprisoning her in that ephemeral world of pleasure. Lexie thought it would be possible to live the rest of her life in the space of this kiss, and die happy. His fingers had clenched around the silky lengths of her hair, threading and knotting it in his eager hands. Mark finally broke the kiss, and allowed his lips to drift down her jaw to the spot were her neck and shoulder met.

And then he began to suck.

Having discovered that this particular spot was an erogenous zone for Lexie weeks before, Mark usually liked to skim it with his tongue during sex to heighten her pleasure, but he had never done this before. The raw feeling of him sucking on her skin was sending sensations through her body that made her feel like a live wire. Mark then allowed his left hand to cup her possessively through the fabric of her scrub pants, and he began to rub. The combination of his hand and his mouth made Lexie begin to tremble as she felt her thighs compulsively close around Mark's hand. She was suddenly grateful that they were both on their knees, for she was sure that, had she been standing, she would have collapsed.

As quickly as it began, Mark removed his hands and lips from her, pulling back to look into her eyes. Lexie was shocked by the intensity of the desire that she saw there. It looked as if he would die any moment if he did not take her.

Easing her back onto the floor, Mark covered her small body with his own.

"Mark," Lexie ground out, "The bed."

"No," He rasped. "Here."

He ducked his head, as if he was going to give her another drugging kiss, but he paused. With the tip of his index finger, Mark gently traced her dips and swells of her lips, massaging the tender skin. He then replaced his finger with his mouth, but this was not like the kisses from moments before, oh no.

This kiss was reverent.

He gently used his tongue and lips against hers in adoration, trapping her more thoroughly than any passionate kiss ever could.

Stripping her pants and underwear from her body, Mark propped himself up on his elbows and undid the draw string of his pants. Allowing them to pull down enough for his penis to be freed, Mark lowered himself to her again and gently guided the head into her willing, wet body.

Lexie's back arched like a bow when he entered her, instinctually bucking her hips against his. The lace of her bra rasped against his chest again as he began a gentle, but steady, rhythm. She didn't know how, but within minutes she was tossing her head as she came closer and closer to her peak. She had never reached this point so quickly, but then, Mark seemed to have that effect on her. There were no rules as to the way her body would respond to him…he seemed to have complete mastery over her.

Mark felt his desire curl in his belly as he came near to his climax. He knew Lexie was almost there too, she was biting down on her lip the way she always did just before she came. Angling his hips, he thrust once, twice, three times against that magical spot…and she then convulsed around him.

The feel of her spasmodic clenches were enough to do him in, and Mark soon followed her into the abyss. Collapsing against her, he pinned her to the ground, unwilling to remove his body from hers just yet. When his mind started working again, he rolled to the side, not wanting to crush her. Her legs were securely wrapped around him, so she rolled with him, tucking herself against his chest.

Looking down at the beauty in his arms, Mark was unable to stop his hand from reaching up and caressing her cheek. Lexie closed her eyes, savoring the feel of it. Now, in this moment, this was why she loved him. There was a great tenderness in him that most people ignored. But Lexie always saw it…and she loved him for it. When she opened her eyes again, his steel blue ones met hers in return.

A look passed between them, and they both moved to get even closer to each other. Their bodies were still connected, and their chests were touching…but in that moment, they weren't focused on that. Instead, their minds were both aware that something, even greater than the baby, had shifted between them.

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_**More to come soon! Review please!**_


	8. Alone Is The Last Place I Wanted To Be

**_Hey everybody! Sorry it has been so long between updates, my muse left me for a few days._**

**_I feel the need to say that this is not a very Alex/Izzie friendly fic. I don't think I bash on them, but I don't really write much about them either. This is AU and I feel that I can decide the shape of their relationship (this means, Alex and Izzie are NOT as they are on the show). If you are and Alex/Izzie shipper, I am sorry. The description speaks of McStizzie undertones, not Alex/Izzie._**

**_Anyway, here is the next update. I hope you enjoy._**

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_Chapter Eight - Alone Is the Last Place I Wanted to Be_

Lexie moaned as Mark shifted slightly and began to get up. "No, don't move," She said. "You are perfect right where you are."

He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "We have to get up eventually, Lex. We are at work, remember?"

"No," She replied, as he disentangled their legs and stood. "I had conveniently forgotten that fact…you should too."

"Come on," Mark said, smiling down at the pretty picture she made. "The sooner we go back to work, the sooner we can go back to my hotel room and I can do naughty things to you."

"Well," Lexie said, slightly mollified. "I suppose that would be acceptable."

"Thank you, your highness," Mark said dryly. He extended a hand to help her up, which she took, gladly.

Lexie, now standing, pulled back on her underwear and scrubs, and once she was fully clothed, she turned to face Mark. "So what happens now?" She asked. "Do we pretend that nothing is going on, or do we answer people's questions if they ask?"

Mark, his clothing now straightened, walked over to her and cupped her face. "What do you want to do?"

Lexie pondered that for awhile, but then said, "I guess I want to keep it between us until we know more. Maybe after the first doctor's appointment…you could tell Derek, if you like."

"No," Mark said, shaking his head as he contemplated the angry face of his best friend when he told him that he had impregnated Lexie. "That is probably not a good idea. I'll tell him after the first trimester is up…this isn't his business, it's ours."

Lexie smiled at him, relieved that he felt the same way she did.

"Besides," Mark said, continuing. "It a situation like this…the only person that I would want to tell is my best friend. The one who knows all my secrets and keeps them to herself." Mark stroked the skin on the edge of her jaw. "And something tells me that she already knows…considering she is the one who told me."

Lexie laughed gently. "I was thinking the same thing," She confessed with a relieved smile. "You are the only person I would want to tell."

His face lit in an answering smile, and then he kissed her gently. When he finally pulled away, Mark said, "As much as I would like to stay like this forever, we better go."

Lexie nodded. "So, I will see you later, right? Maybe in your hotel room after work?"

Mark agreed. "Yep…besides, we have a lot to talk about."

"Okay," Lexie said, just as her pager went off. "I better go."

"See you when I see you," Mark said.

"See you when I see you," Lexie replied, as she opened the door with a small, but happy, smile.

* * *

"What the hell is going on with you and Lexie?"

Mark turned from where he was writing in a chart at the nurses' station to see Derek's angry face standing behind him.

"For months, you told me that nothing was happening," Derek continued, not waiting for an answer. "You specifically said that you were just friends, and that I was being overprotective and overdramatic. That I was butting in on something that was none of my business."

Mark shrugged. "That's because you _were_ butting in on something that was none of your business."

Derek looked practically apoplectic. "What the hell is going on with you and her?" He apparently was not taking Mark's evasion as an answer. "The whole hospital is talking about the fact that you were seen dragging her into an on call room earlier tonight!"

"You would think that people have something more interesting to talk about than who I am and am not going into on call rooms with," Mark said dryly.

"So it's true?" Derek asked, his voice raising.

"Did I say that?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes at the tone that Derek had chosen to take.

"Why are you being so evasive?" Derek gritted out.

"Maybe because I don't think you have any right to tell me who I can, and who I cannot, talk to."

"Talking? That is all that happened?"

"How is this your business?"

"She is going to be my sister!" Derek exclaimed.

"So?" Mark asked, his voice low. "How exactly does that affect me? She is a grown woman who can decide who she wants to be friends with. Derek, perhaps it is time that you got over the idea that I am answerable to you for my actions. You have told me to stay away from Lexie. Repeatedly, I might add. And now, as you are repeating this mantra to me yet again, I must decline." Mark looked at Derek calmly, his eyes taking in the redness of Derek's face and the clenching of his fists. "I am _not_ staying away from Lexie in any capacity."

"You are deliberately ignoring what I asked you to do!" Derek yelled, causing the heads of several members of the nearby hospital staff to look in there direction.

"Yeah, you know what?" Mark asked. "I am. You have no right to tell me who I can and can't sleep with." He didn't know why, but looking at Derek now, Mark suddenly felt a surge of confidence. For his whole life, Derek had done everything he could to "handle" Mark. As if his choices were somewhat less legitimate because he was the one making them. And Mark was sick of it. Derek Shepherd was not his keeper, and he was tired of letting him think he was. Mark continued, "Just back off, Derek. I am not going to tell you again."

Derek was looking at him in surprise and disgust. "I am asking you to do something, and you are deliberately ignoring it? Guess, I shouldn't be surprised after what you did with Addison. Guess loyalty isn't that important to you, is it?"

"Oh, here we go," Mark snapped back. "Addison; the only note you can ever play. Tell me, Derek; don't you get tired of being up on that high horse of yours?"

"Don't you ever get tired of being the fuck-up?" Derek countered, his lips thinning as they tightened in anger.

"Screw you," Mark exclaimed. "You know what? I am fucking done. To you I am always going to be the charity case that your mom had to take in, and you always did get a kick out of being superior to me." Mark closed the chart he had been writing in, and put it deliberately back on the counter. He then turned to Derek, "Find yourself another friend to abuse. I am so fucking done."

Mark walked away, more annoyed than anything else. This was the day he had found out he was going to be a father, and that should have been the most important thing. Instead, Derek had to bring him down, the way he always did. Shaking his head, Mark vowed to himself that he wasn't going to let this happen anymore. He was done with Derek Shepherd.

He had Lexie; she was enough.

* * *

_Izzie Karev. Isobel Stevens Karev. Izzie Stevens-Karev. Izzie Stevens-Sloan._

Izzie jerked upright, and stopped her thoughts in their tracks. The hum of the jet engines had lulled her to into a relaxed state, but now she was wide awake again.

Why did she have to think of him now? For the past six months, she had been telling herself the same thing over and over again. _It was a mistake. You don't love him. It was a mistake. He would never be faithful to you_.

In the initial aftermath of that night, Izzie had been pleasantly surprised at herself. For once, she had consequence-free sex with a man who was in no way involved in her life. He hadn't been a friend like Alex, and he hadn't been a married best friend like George. No, Mark had just been…_Mark_. He had been there for her when she needed him, and helped her forget, if just for a moment, the mess that was her life.

But then the trouble started.

To Izzie's shock and amazement, Mark hadn't seen the night the way she had at all. He wanted more, more of her, more sex, but most of all…he seemed to want a _relationship_. That had shocked her more than anything else ever could. Mark Sloan wanted a relationship with her.

Izzie could still remember how she had felt in that first moment. She had been surprised, but pleased. And then the doubts started. He was Mark Sloan, after all. He could never be faithful to her; he would break her heart. _He was just like Alex_.

Remembering that she thought that, shamed Izzie now. In her desperation to convince Mark that nothing would ever happen between them, she had gotten back together with Alex.

She could still see the way his eyes had looked the first time he saw them kissing in the hallway.

He had backed off after that, but not very far. He always seemed to be on the periphery of the room, watching her.

But then he had met Lexie. Izzie had no idea what their relationship was (whether it was casual sex or the friendship that Mark fervently claimed it was), but one thing was obvious to her: Lexie loved Mark. Had Izzie been anyone else, she probably wouldn't have noticed. But Izzie knew something about longing for a man that was out of your grasp. The way Izzie felt about Denny…that was how Lexie looked at Mark.

When Izzie had first befriended Lexie, she had done it as a way to warn Lexie about Mark. But then a friendship blossomed. It was nowhere near as close as Meredith's relationship with Cristina, but Izzie liked to think that they could tell each other the really important stuff.

Except for Mark. They _never_ spoke about Mark.

Alex shifted in his seat, a small puff of air coming from his mouth as he continued to sleep through the flight back to Seattle Grace.

Izzie sighed. While their honeymoon in Cancun had been fun and relaxing, Izzie couldn't help but think that she should be feeling different after having married Alex. Where was the rapture? Where was the complete and utter happiness that was supposed to fill her? Maybe this feeling of uncertainty was her punishment for getting back together with Alex, despite having strong feelings for Mark.

Getting back with Alex had felt like putting on a warm and familiar blanket. He made her happy and content, but there was nothing threatening or thrilling about it. Izzie believed that she could trust him, but at the same time, she never put her complete faith in him to begin with. When he had asked her to marry him, the first thought in Izzie's head was "Why not?" Marriage was the next step, wasn't it? Alex wanted it, and Izzie knew that people expected it.

And everything just sort of snowballed from there.

Sometimes, in the dark of night, Izzie wondered if she was with Alex because he had already broken her heart once, and she knew exactly what it felt like. Izzie could never be disappointed by Alex again…because she was completely prepared for it.

Mark was a different story.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are now making our approach into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The local time is 9pm."_

Izzie sighed, looking out the window to the lights of Seattle below. Tomorrow she had to go back to work and pretend that she was utterly happy with her marriage and her future.

She just hoped she was a good enough actress to pull it off.

* * *

By the time Lexie made it to Mark's hotel room, she was convinced that she would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She had never been so exhausted in her entire life. Every muscle in her body was sore, even the ones she was convinced weren't really muscles.

Knocking, Lexie closed her eyes as she waited for Mark to open the door.

"You're not sleeping standing up again, are you?"

Lexie opened her eyes blearily, and gratefully walked into his room, tossing her things on the floor and her body on the bed. "Oh, God, I need sleep."

"It's nice to see you too," Mark said dryly, looking at Lexie's prone form on the bed.

"Mmhmm," Lexie said, her voice muffled. "Nice…night, Mark."

Mark chuckled. "I guess our talk will have to wait until tomorrow."

Lexie cracked open one eye at this, and sighed. "No, we can do it now…but let's be quick." She stood, shrugging out of her coat and sweater. When Mark said nothing, Lexie beckoned him with her hand. "Talk."

"Okay," Mark said, grinning as she stripped in front of him with no regard to modesty. "What do you want to do about custody?"

"That's easy," Lexie said, unbuttoning her jeans. "We share the baby, fifty-fifty. Don't think you are getting out of any diaper changes or late night feedings. Next!"

"What about living arrangements?" Mark asked. "What would you think about us living together?"

Lexie froze, and looked up from where she had been about to unhook her bra. "You want to live together?"

Mark nodded.

"Like…a couple?" Lexie asked.

Mark nodded again.

"But we are just friends," Lexie said. "Good friends, but friends nonetheless."

"Maybe it is time for more," Mark said, tilting his head to look at her.

Lexie was silent for a long time until she said, "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I really need to think about it and I am so exhausted right now that I think I am going to fall asleep during the most important conversation of my life."

Mark felt his heart expand as he saw the earnestness in her expression. "Yeah, let's go to sleep, Little Grey."

Lexie sighed with relief and pulled on one of his big grey t-shirts, and eased under the covers. Mark, who was already in his t-shirt and boxers, slid in as well. With her next to him, Mark easily forgot about all the things that had happened that day and just enjoyed the feeling of Lexie in his arms. She immediately snuggled up next to him, fitting her body to his side.

And when she drifted off to sleep, her mind was full of images of Mark and their child playing in the backyard of a big house.

Who was she kidding?

She had already made her decision.

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**_Please Review!_**


	9. Lord, What Can I Say?

_**Hi Everyone! Thank you all for the lovely reviews. I am happy to know there is such an interest in this story. This chapter is a little bit of fluff because, let's face it, Mark and Lexie are at their best when they are being cute. Anywho, I need to give a big thank you to Mere, Nak, and Laur who have listened to me talk about my story and always seem to offer good advice. And thanks to Mere as well for giving me the inspiration for how to write Mark and pregnant!Lexie. I seem to write Mark and Lexie with a baby in all my stories, but I could never do it as well as she did in hers. If you haven't read her story In the Midnight Hour, you really should. It is Mark and Lexie at their finest! Also check out her latest fic, Incandescence which has utterly captured my imagination. Mere...if I updated, that means you have to as well, right?**_

_**Okay! On to the fluff!**_

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_Chapter Nine - Lord, What Can I Say?_

The next morning, Mark woke to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. Momentarily disoriented, he then realized who must be making the sound and he forced himself out of bed. He walked over to where the sliver of light was coming out from under the closed bathroom door, opened it, and walked inside. He didn't say anything as he gathered Lexie's hair away from her neck while she heaved.

When the nausea had momentarily subsided, Lexie rested her head against the cool marble of counter. "Thank you," she said, her eyes still closed.

"No problem," Mark said. "You should have woken me up."

"No time," Lexie said, her voice rather pathetic. "Junior gave me no warning."

Mark grinned at the nickname, but said, "Sorry you aren't feeling well."

Lexie snorted. "Understatement." She cracked her eyes open then, and began to stand.

"All done?" Mark asked.

"Yes, I think—" Lexie reacted quickly turning sharply back to lean over the toilet again, continuing to empty her stomach. When she finished, there were tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, wondering if it was physically painful, rather than just uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Lexie said. "The sensation always makes my eyes water though…don't know why."

Mark smoothed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears with a gentle stroking motion.

"Mmm, that feels good," She said throatily.

"Just think," Mark commented, "If you move in with me, I can do this for you every morning."

"Ugh," Lexie moaned. "Why are you talking about moving in together when I am hunched over a toilet?" She straightened up after the nausea passed, looking at him in annoyance.

"You said you wanted to talk about it later," Mark said, somewhat exasperated. "Well, it's later."

"Let's talk later _today_," Lexie clarified. "Not first thing in the morning, when my breath smells like vomit and you have bed-head."

Mark smirked at her. "I know I look hot in the morning… you are just trying to distract me. Besides, if it helps… I think you smell like peaches."

Lexie rolled her eyes, walking over to the sink. "Stop flirting with me, you already got me into bed."

"I am well aware of that," Mark said with a grin. "The baby on board was kind of a big hint."

Lexie made an annoyed sound in her throat and began to brush her teeth.

"You don't need to talk," Mark said. "Just listen."

Lexie met his eyes in the mirror, and she nodded.

Mark cleared his throat and then said, "Look, Lex… I know I was sort of throwing things out there last night, but I want you to know that I am serious about this. I really think it would be a good idea if we lived together. Just think of all the benefits. We could really be co-parents, and you wouldn't feel like the burden is falling to you. We are together all the time anyway, not to mention sharing a bed, and this could be an easier way for us to see each other. Plus, I really don't think Meredith and Derek are going to want a screaming baby in their attic."

Lexie spat her toothpaste in the sink and wiped her mouth, turning to face him. "Well, I agree with you on those points Mark, but I think you are looking at this in the wrong way."

"How so?" Mark asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, you are doing the typical Mark Sloan thing and bulldozing right ahead to what you want, with no real thought to the consequences," Lexie replied.

Mark glared at her. "I wasn't aware that I did a 'Typical Mark Sloan Thing'."

"Oh, come on, Mark," Lexie said. "You cannot be serious. You go after what you what and to hell with the consequences. You can't tell me you were unaware of this."

"I wasn't unaware of _that_, Lexie," Mark said, his voice curt. "It is called living. Life is too fucking short to waste on niceties or bullshit. I go after what I want; that is not a bad thing." He looked at her directly, his posture open as if he was daring her to contradict him. It would have felt confrontational to Lexie, if it weren't for the soft and needy look in his eyes. "And what I want right now is to move in with the mother of my child, whom I happen to be in an exclusive sexual relationship with. How does that make me the bad guy?"

_Because you don't love me_, Lexie thought silently, but she said, "It doesn't. You aren't the bad guy here Mark, I am. You want to move in together and I am just…not quite sure."

"Neither of us is the bad guy, Lex," Mark said, yanking her to him. Once she was in his arms, he tipped her chin so she had to look at him. "You don't have to be wrong for me to be right, or vice versa. But I want you, Lex. All the time it feels like. We were best friends until we weren't, and I can't go back to that limbo we were in before when there was an unspoken sexual attraction between us."

_But not love_, she thought. Cupping his cheek, Lexie said, "I am not asking to go back, Mark, but do we have to decide all this today?"

"There is no day but today," Mark said stubbornly.

Lexie wondered if he knew he had just referenced a famous song, but from the look on his face, she thought not. Shaking her head, she said, "I just don't want…"

"What?" Mark asked

"I don't want you to suddenly wake up after we have been living together six months in, one year in, and decided that monogamy and cohabitation isn't what you thought it would be. I don't want you to resent me, Mark. We are best friends…why does that have to change?"

"I could never resent you, Lex," Mark said. "You're my best friend, and you are making me a father. I am in awe of you. But things _are _going to change…this baby made sure of that."

Every cell in her body was telling her that this was a bad decision, that she would regret it later, but Lexie realized that when it came to Mark…all her choices had been made a long time ago.

"Okay," She said, looking into his deep blue eyes. "I will move in with you."

Mark smiled and kissed her tenderly.

Lexie couldn't help but think that she would be willing to deal with any emotional pain to have Mark kiss her like that every day.

* * *

The first day back to the hospital had been hell for Izzie. Her interns had somehow decided that they were no longer required to work hard since she had been gone, something they didn't seem quick to give up now that she was back. When she finally sat down next to Meredith in the cafeteria at lunch time, Izzie was ready to call it quits.

"I hate interns," Izzie moaned.

"Who doesn't?" Cristina asked with a snort. She and Meredith had been sitting alone together when Izzie joined them. "The key is to crush their spirits early on…then they never trouble you again."

Meredith shook her head at Cristina, and then turned to Izzie. "What's wrong, Iz?"

"My interns suck," Izzie said, biting into her apple.

"Mine too," Meredith replied.

"Mine three," Cristina chimed in.

"Hey guys."

The three of them looked up to see Lexie standing there.

"Speaking of…" Cristina said, as Meredith elbowed her in the ribs.

"Hey Lexie," Meredith said. She indicated the empty chair with her hand. "Sit?"

"Thanks," Lexie said, sitting down at the table. She smiled uneasily at Izzie once she had. "Hi, Iz. How was the honeymoon?"

"Great!" Izzie exclaimed with a too bright smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Meredith waved her hand in between them. "You two can be bright and shiny later. Right now, I want to know if the rumors are true."

"Rumors?" Izzie asked, wrinkling her forehead.

"Lexie," Meredith said to her sister, "Are you sleeping with Mark Sloan?"

Lexie choked on the juice she had just sipped. Coughing, she managed to gasp out, "What?"

Izzie felt a stab of jealously, but she forced herself to look uninterested.

"What makes you say that?" Lexie asked nervously.

"Please, Shirley," Cristina said. "It is all over the hospital that you and Mark Sloan were seen coming out of an on call room yesterday."

"Shirley?" Lexie repeated with confusion.

"As in Temple," Cristina said, taking a bite of salad.

Lexie groaned again. "Look, Mark and I are friends…that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. We had a lot to talk about yesterday."

"So you didn't have mad monkey sex with him?" Cristina asked.

"Way to go with the tact," Meredith said to her.

"What?" Cristina said, shrugging. "You wanted to know!"

Lexie let them squabble among themselves, as her attention was diverted by a wonderful smell that she couldn't identify. It was sweet, and a little tangy…and it was wafting to her nostrils. Finally, she said, "What is that smell?"

"What smell?"

"I don't smell anything," Meredith said.

Lexie narrowed her eyes. "I smell something. It is sweet."

"My cookie?" Meredith asked.

"No."

"My soda?"

"No."

"Is it my apple?" Izzie asked, holding it up in front of her.

"It couldn't be," Lexie said. "I hate ap—" Her mouth dropped open in shock as she got a full whiff of the ripe fruit. Taking it from Izzie, she tentatively bit into it with a satisfying crunch, trying not to moan as the wonderful flavor exploded on her tongue. "No, no, no, no, no! I hate apples, this cannot be happening to me!" Lexie suddenly stood in frustration, angrily grabbing her stuff. "Oh, I am going to kill him. This is all his fault!"

She stormed off, leaving three pairs of eyes staring after her in shock.

"What the hell was that about?" Cristina asked.

"Don't look at me," Meredith said. "We only share DNA."

They began talking amongst themselves again and promptly forgot about Lexie's weird behavior. Izzie was the only one who was still staring after Lexie with a thoughtful expression on her face.

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In the course of his long and adventuresome life, Mark had many odd things thrown at him by women, but an apple core had to be the weirdest.

"This is all your fault!" Lexie snapped, chucking the mostly-eaten fruit at his chest.

Mark, who was standing in a room examining at x-rays with Dr. Hunt, looked at her with an odd expression on his face. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to use your words?"

"I hate apples!" Lexie snapped, looking disdainfully at the core that now graced the linoleum.

"Okay," Mark said soothingly, fighting back a grin. "Good, now tell me why you feel that way."

"They are gross and crunchy and the skin is weird and…" Lexie narrowed her eyes. "Are you mocking me?"

"Oh, I would never do that," Mark said, not bothering to suppress his grin now. "Wanna tell me why your hatred for apples inspired you to throw one at me?"

"Because now I like them!"

Mark scratched the side of his face. "I am afraid you are going to have to clarify that for me, Lex." He turned to Owen. "Do you speak girl? What did that mean?"

"I have no idea," Owen said to him. "But this has to be the most interesting conversation I have ever witnessed."

"It is your fault," Lexie ground out, "Because I hate apples, or at least I did until three weeks ago."

Mark looked at her blankly. "I am still not following…"

"I hated apples until three weeks ago when you knocked me up," Lexie snapped. "No, I am pregnant with your apple-loving baby, and I seem to like them… I am even craving them! That's the point!"

"Okay," Owen said, backing away. "I am gonna go now, you two probably have a lot to talk about."

Once the door was closed behind him, Mark turned to Lexie and calmly said, "You just announced to Hunt that we are having a baby."

Lexie shrugged, too angry to care about that right now, "He was going to find out anyway, everyone will." She narrowed her eyes. "Another thing that is your fault, once I get mommy-tracked."

"Focus, Lex," Mark said.

"Dr. Hunt is trustworthy; he won't say anything."

Mark smirked at her. "So should I get used to this? The overreacting to small things that don't really matter?"

"Yes, you should," Lexie said, nodding firmly. "Who knows what other weird things your baby is going to make me crave? I have to blame it on someone."

Mark sighed dramatically. "Well, then I guess I will just have to endure things getting thrown at me."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Hey, I am the one who is going to have to carry around a beach ball in my uterus. Dodging apple cores is the least you can do."

Mark laughed, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I'll keep that in mind."

There was an openness in his eyes that made her feel warm from the inside out. Lexie smiled at him, her eyes softening all of her anger suddenly gone. "You make me happy, Mark."

"Even though my baby is making you crave yucky apples?" Mark asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Even though," Lexie affirmed, rising on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his mouth. "I'll see you at home."

"Okay," Mark said, now grinning widely. "Home, huh?"

"Yep," Lexie said, with a nod. "Until we find an apartment, that hotel room is home." She gave him a little wave, and left the room.

Mark smiled to himself. He had a feeling that the next nine months were going to be the most interesting of his life.

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_**Review Please****!**_


	10. Try To Bury My Troubles Away

_**Wow, thank you for all the reviews! I appreciate them so much!**_

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_Chapter Ten - Try to Bury My Troubles Away_

"Okay, Dr. Grey. You probably know the drill, but I need to ask you some questions about your medical history."

One week later, Lexie took a deep breath as she sat in an exam room in a paper gown, and trying to answer the doctor's questions to the best of her ability. Despite the fact that she was a doctor herself, she had never liked being on the other side. Susan Grey had deserved a medal for all the times she had endured Lexie's childhood tantrums that always seemed to coincide with doctor's appointments when she was growing up.

But despite her nerves, and despite the fact that she would rather be anywhere else than where she was, Lexie was comforted by the fact that Mark was sitting by her side, holding her hand.

To her utter surprise, when Mark had taken her hand to give it a comforting squeeze, he didn't pull away immediately. Instead, he had interlaced his fingers with hers, and now he was enraptured with a little game of writing dirty words in the palm of her hand with his index finger, while Lexie answered the doctor's questions. She hadn't realized what he was doing at first, but then she had focused on the letters to get her mind off her discomfort, and she had to fight off a grin when she realized all the dirty things he was pressing into her skin.

Lexie tried not to giggle as Mark finished writing slang would for a part of the female anatomy.

"Okay, Dr. Grey. Lie back, and I will just check to make sure everything feels all right." As she, Dr. Sullivan, examined her, she continued to talk, trying to distract Lexie from the uncomfortable pressure on her abdomen. "From what I can determine, you are three weeks pregnant, and the baby should be born the first week of January. I will give you a more precise calculation later."

"Three weeks?" Mark asked, not thinking like a doctor. "So it wasn't the night of the wedding." He said that last part more to Lexie, than the doctor.

"The due date and how far along she is, are measured from the first missed period, Dr. Sloan," Sullivan said.

"Right," Mark mumbled, clearly uncomfortable talking about Lexie's periods.

Sullivan continued talking, ignoring Mark's embarrassment, "The blood panel I ordered came back fine, and your levels are perfectly in range. Are you having any problems I should be aware of?"

"Just a little morning sickness," Lexie said.

"And she is tired all the time," Mark piped in.

"Mark!"

"What?" He asked with a shrug. "You are."

"Those are all normal signs, but I am putting you on prenatal vitamins which have iron. That should help with the fatigue." Sullivan then finished the external exam and said, "Okay, Dr. Grey. Feet in the stirrups, please."

Lexie turned crimson. "Mark, would you mind waiting behind the curtain?"

"Sure," he said, his face slightly pale. "That is probably a good idea."

Once Lexie was situated, and she could feel cold metal in a place that was most uncomfortable, she said, "Talk to me, Mark."

"About what?" He asked, his voice coming from behind the curtain.

Lexie squeezed her eyes shut against the picture of a Swiss chalet that had been taped to the ceiling, and said, "Anything."

"Um, I started looking at apartments for us?" Mark said, unsure if this was something that Lexie wanted to talk about at this moment.

"Really?" She asked, smiling.

"Yep," Mark said. "There is this great apartment in the Madison Park area. It is a two story apartment, and it has wood flooring. Oh, and flower boxes in the windows…I thought you would like that."

Lexie laughed a bit, ignoring her discomfort as her toes curled around the ends of the stirrups. "I do. It sounds lovely."

"It is," Mark said. "It is right on the edge of Lake Washington too. We could take the baby there for walks and to play when she is older."

She wanted to cry with happiness at the way Mark was planning for the future, as if this had been his plan all along.

"Okay," Dr. Sullivan said, her tone slightly apologetic for interrupting. "All done, Dr. Grey. You can sit up now."

Lexie took her feet out of the stirrups and sat up, hoping she could soon get out of the paper gown she was wearing. "Okay, Mark. I am done."

He came from behind the curtain with a sheepish smile.

"Alright, Dr. Grey. You can get dressed now, and I want to see you back in a month. Talk to my nurse, and she will give you all the prescriptions and make your next appointment."

"What about an ultrasound?" Mark asked, feeling slightly deflated that they weren't going to get to see the baby.

Dr. Sullivan smiled at him, and said. "When Dr. Grey is at eight weeks we will do a vaginal ultrasound to hear the heartbeat, and at twelve weeks we will do a regular one." She laughed, her kind face reminding Lexie of a grandmother's. "Patience, Dr. Sloan," She said. "You can't rush these things. You both will see your baby soon enough."

Mark smiled thankfully, and then looked to Lexie to see if she was wearing the same expression of awestruck happiness that he was.

_Your baby. _

There was something magical about that statement.

* * *

After Lexie was dressed, she and Mark left the doctor's office, and walked the short distance to the diner on the corner. They were within two block of the hospital, and yet neither Mark nor Lexie had been in the small restaurant before. After sitting down at a booth, Mark handed Lexie a menu and began to scan his own, all the while shooting Lexie glances from under his eyelashes.

Lexie saw him doing it, and smiled. "What?"

Mark opened his mouth to speak, but then just smiled and shook his head. "Nothing," He replied.

"Okay," Lexie said, a grin quirking at her lips.

There was silence for a moment, until Mark blurted, "It's just…that made it real, you know?"

Lexie looked up, set down her menu and said, "Yeah, I guess it did."

"I mean, I knew it was happening," Mark said. "I have known for a week, but that felt like it was real. I mean, Dr. Sullivan called it 'Your baby'…no one has said that before."

"That's because no one else knows about it," Lexie said dryly. Dr. Hunt, for all of Mark's worries, hadn't said a word. "Once people know, they aren't going to stop saying it."

"Yeah," Mark said with a grin.

Lexie felt as if she suddenly was seeing something that had escaped her before. "Oh my God," Lexie said. "You are really excited about this, aren't you?" Her face was lit in a happy, yet shocked, grin.

"I am," Mark said, nodding decisively. "This is going to be fantastic."

"Okay," Lexie said, tilting her head, "Don't take this the wrong way, but most men in your situation would be…"

"Panicking?" Mark supplied.

"Yes, exactly," Lexie said.

"There is no point in that; life's too short," Mark said. "Besides, I have been in this situation before. Perhaps I used all my panic up then."

"Maybe," Lexie said. "Did you ever… I mean, that is… Had you…been to a doctor's appointment?" She was unsure how to ask him about what had to be a horribly sensitive subject.

Mark shook his head, looking down at his menu again. "No," He said shortly. "She took care of it before any of that could happen."

The waitress came then and took their orders. Mark seemed very interested in the specials, but Lexie wondered if that was because she had hit a sore spot. She nibbled on the bottom of her lip and, after the waitress left, she said, "Sorry."

"For what?" Mark asked, taking a sip of the coffee that had been poured for him.

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"I have no objections to talking about it," Mark said. "It's just…when I think back to that whole time with Addison in New York, it feels like scenes out of someone else's life, you know?"

_Addison_, Lexie thought, wondering if Mark knew he had just given away the identity of the almost-mother of his child. She remembered the glamorous redhead from her visit to Seattle two months before, but she hadn't spoken to her. But, being human, Lexie hadn't been able to stop herself from comparing Addison, in all her beauty, to her own simplistic prettiness. She knew from Derek that Mark and Addison had been in a serious relationship after Derek left for Seattle, but she had never thought that Addison would be quite so…_lovely_. Lexie, who knew herself to be desperately in love with Mark by that point, had wondered if that was the reason Mark had turned her away from his hotel room all those months before. If she, in her innocence and youth, was simply not a person he was, or could be, attracted to.

"Anyway," Mark was saying, "None of that matters now. All that is important is _this _baby, and you taking good care of her."

Lexie smiled, and pushed her insecurities away. "You are right. You know, I am sort of starting to think about what he will look like. Whether he will have your eyes, or mine. Or if he will be tall, or short like most Grey men are. For his sake, I hope he inherited the Sloan genes in that respect."

Mark grinned at her. "Isn't that all a little premature? Besides, I am sure our daughter will be beautiful, just like her mama."

She laughed. "Oh, so you think it is a girl?"

"Oh, I know it is a girl," Mark said. He then muttered, "The universe wouldn't have it any other way."

Lexie's happy peals of laughter made him smile, as he was struck by the beauty of the woman sitting before him. In true Lexie fashion, she was managing to get more beautiful the more her pregnancy progressed. If it weren't for the fact that Mark had held her hair back for five of the last seven mornings, he would swear she was in the peak of health.

Unable to stop himself, Mark reached across the table and took her hand, "I like hearing you laugh," He confessed.

The wide smile eased from her face into happy contentment, and she turned her hand so that their palms were touching. It felt like there was an electric current running from his palm to hers, and as he stared into her eyes, Lexie felt as though the world was falling out from under her. Surely it wasn't possible that he could look at her like that and feel nothing. Lexie didn't know if she was kidding herself, or simply wishing for the impossible, but she could have sworn that she saw the barest traces of love in the depth of his eyes.

"Well," She said, not wanting to spoil the moment, "You make me laugh. Which is a good thing, considering we are best friends."

Mark's shoulders jerked slightly when she said that, and then he blinked in surprise. "Yeah, friends….right."

Lexie could have sworn that she heard disappointment in his voice, but she said nothing. The waitress saved her by bringing their food at that moment.

She placed a breakfast special in front of Mark, and oatmeal and a fruit plate in front of Lexie.

Lexie ignored the slight twist in her stomach, and rubbed the surface of her abdomen gently. "None of that," She murmured soothingly. "I need to eat now."

"Who are you talking to?" Mark asked with a grin.

"The baby," Lexie said matter-of-factly. "Babies learn to process sounds and speak while they are in the womb, even if they don't say a word until much later."

Mark smiled at her protectiveness, but couldn't help teasing her, "Um, Lex? I hate to break it to you, but at this point there is no real reason to talk to the baby yet."

"Why not?" Lexie said, taking a bite of her oatmeal after blowing on it.

"Because right now the baby doesn't have ears."

"I know that," Lexie said, rolling her eyes. "But it is never too early for the baby to start learning."

Mark laughed, taking a bite of bacon. "Our kid is going to be a nerd, isn't she?"

Lexie tilted her head to the side, as if she was thinking, and then conceded, "Most likely."

"Oh well, she will be part Sloan, that will help with the hotness factor," Mark said. His face then darkened, "Not that it will matter at the All Girls Catholic School we are going to send her to."

Lexie rolled her eyes again. "Now who is jumping the gun?" She then took a bite of green apple from the fruit plate.

Mark smiled, and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Lexie said, "I swear to God, if you say anything…you will be wearing your eggs instead of eating them."

He closed his mouth with a smirk, and she took another bite of apple.

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**_Review Please!_**


	11. Drown My Sorrows the Same Way

**_Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them, and I love hearing postive things about Mark and Lexie. I am glad to know that so many of you agree with me that he would make a wonderful father. I sort of invented a backstory for Mark here, which I hope flows well with what we already know about him. Anywho, enjoy!_**

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_Chapter Eleven – Drown My Sorrows the Same Way_

"You know, I think this weekend would be a good time."

"A good time for what?" Lexie asked, moving closer to Mark. It was not particularly cold that morning, but Lexie had noticed that her body temperature was on the fritz as well. She seemed to be cold all the time these days. After leaving the diner, they had decided to take to slow and circuitous route to the hospital. Neither of them had to work until ten, and they both seemed to be in agreement that they wanted to savor what little time they had left. It was so odd; Lexie would never have thought it possible, but going to the doctor, having another person confirm the baby's existence…had seemed to bring them closer. In the hour and a half since they had been to the appointment, they seemed to constantly be touching. Intertwined hands, bumping hips, brushing fingers… they couldn't seem to stop.

At this moment, her hand was tucked through the crook of his arm as he smiled down at her. "A good time to go look at that apartment," Mark said.

"So soon?" Lexie commented, as she enjoyed the slow walk they were taking.

"Well, there is no real reason to delay," Mark said. "I want to get out of the hotel as soon as I can."

Lexie looked up at him in surprise. "What's changed? I mean, you seemed happy with the hotel until recently. Besides, we are hardly there anyway…we spend all our time at the hospital. There is no real reason to move now… We still have eight months to go before it is going to get crowded."

Mark grinned, and then said, "I know that, but I don't really want to stay at the hotel anymore. We are two now, and soon we will be three, the hotel is for a single guy."

Suddenly, her feet wouldn't move anymore. She stopped in her tracks, and Mark stopped along with her. She tried to find the words she wanted to say, but nothing seemed right. Finally, she blurted out, "Are we in a relationship? I mean, we haven't really talked about it in a while. All of these things have been happening, but that seems to be the one topic that we carefully avoid and talk around. We agreed to move in together, and we are sleeping together every night, but…"

"But what?" Mark asked, his brow furrowed.

"But is it more than that?" Lexie asked. "I know that you don't like talking about this stuff, but I need to know. Are we dating? Are we…_in_ a relationship?"

"Is that what you are worried about?" Mark asked, a wry grin splitting his face. "Jesus, Lex. _Of course_, we are in a relationship. We are having a baby together."

Lexie swallowed her disappointment at his answer, but she forced herself to continue. She had come too far to turn back yet. "Yes, Mark. We are having a baby…but if we weren't…" She stopped, willing herself not to cry. "If we weren't would we still be…together?"

"Lexie," Mark said gently, coming forward to cup her face. She loved the way he did that, it always made her so petite and cared for. He grinned down at her. "I think it is safe to say that even if it weren't for the baby…I would want to be with you. We had this intense sexual attraction even before we acted on it. You getting pregnant changed nothing. I want you regardless. And before your mind can perform any more mental gyrations and twist my words, we are in a serious _exclusive _relationship. We may have been friends before, but we are _much_ more than that now. Okay?"

"Okay," Lexie said, her brown eyes glowing. "So we just skipped over the dating part, huh?"

Mark laughed. "What can I say? We are just more focused than that. We went straight to the good stuff."

"You got me there," Lexie said with a laugh. "But I want a date."

"A date?"

"A date," Lexie said with a nod. "One date between now and when the baby is born. I think I deserve that."

"You got it," Mark said, leaning into her. As his lips brushed hers, he said, "One date." He gently kissed her, slanting his mouth back and forth across hers. "Mmm, you taste good," He said when he pulled away. "Like peaches and summer."

Lexie giggled. "You are just saying that."

"Yep," Mark said with a smirk. "More like _apples_ and summer, but I didn't think you would appreciate me telling you that."

She gently swatted him on his arm, causing him to laugh with pleasure. "Oooh," She said, "You are so going to regret saying that."

"Face it, Lex. My baby has corrupted you. You are going to love apples from here on out." Mark laughed at the denial on her face.

"Never!" She swore fervently. "As soon as I give birth, I am never going to taste another apple again as long as I liv—"

Mark cut her off with another kiss, to which Lexie happily surrendered. Their tongues tangled as her fingers clutched at the grey shirt under his black button-down jacket. Mark moved his hands to her hips, pulling her to him so that they were pressing from chest to thigh. Lexie was quickly forgetting that they were in a public place, and she would have continued kissing him indefinitely, but a voice interrupted them.

"Whoa, Sloan is totally kissing your sister, Meredith."

Mark and Lexie broke away from each other and turned to see Derek, Meredith, Alex, and Izzie standing on the sidewalk with various looks of shock on their faces.

* * *

It seemed to Lexie as if the next minute stretched indefinitely. She was still in Mark's arms, while Meredith and Derek were starting at her with identical looks of judgmental shock on their faces. Alex, after his initial surprise, seemed more disinterested that anything else. But Izzie…hers was the face that seemed to have the greatest myriad of emotions. She seemed surprised, upset, sad, and angry all at the same time.

Lexie half expected Mark to push her away now that he was standing in front of Izzie, but he seemed to do the opposite. His grip on her grew more secure, and he wasn't even looking in Izzie's direction. His eyes were fixed on Derek, as if he was challenging him to say something.

Derek did not disappoint. "Unbelievable," He muttered.

"I am sorry?" Mark said, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Glaring at him, Derek said, "I can't believe I am really surprised. This is what you do. You deny things right to my face, and then go and do them anyway."

"Fuck you, man," Mark said. "I never denied anything. I simply refused to answer because it was none of your fucking business then, no more than it is now." He took Lexie's hand in his, and turned to her. "Let's go, Lexie."

She nodded and, shooting an apologetic look towards Meredith and Izzie, she walked off with Mark, fingers intertwined, towards the hospital which was towering in the distance.

Once they had walked a safe enough distance away, Meredith turned to Derek and said, "You knew about this?"

"Not really," Derek admitted. "I had my suspicions. I can't believe he would do this."

"Why are you so surprised, Meredith?" Izzie asked, surprised at the bitter note in her voice. "You suspected it last week when you were teasing Lexie about it."

Meredith shook her head. "I didn't really believe it. I mean, she hasn't been sleeping at home lately, but I thought it was one of those hospital things that got out of hand…but seeing them together in the morning? Wow, just wow."

Izzie tried to modulate her voice to make it sound normal. "Yeah, it's weird right?"

Alex shot her a funny look, and then said, "Whatever. Who cares who Sloan is doing? Can we just go get coffee like we planned?"

They all agreed and walked towards the Starbucks on the corner. Their minds were all on Mark and Lexie, but for very different reasons.

* * *

"Mark, slow down!" Lexie said to him ten minutes later when they reached the walkway in front of Seattle Grace. "I have short legs compared to you."

He paused, slowing his gait. "Sorry, Little Grey. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't worry about it," Lexie said, looking at him. She bit her lip, trying to guess at how he was feeling. "Are you okay?"

Mark nodded, and led her over to a green bench where they both sat. "Yeah, I am fine. He just pushes all my buttons. I don't know how, but he does, and he always has."

Frankly, Lexie was surprised that he didn't mention Izzie and her pained expression, but she said nothing about it. Instead, she commented, "I don't understand why he cares who you are with. What's it to him?"

"If you can answer that, Lex, you will have solved the great mystery that is Derek Shepherd," Mark said with a disgusted tone. He ran an aggravated hand through his hair, yanking on the short brown-grey locks. His other arm was draped over the back of the hospital bench and resting lightly around her shoulders. He didn't seem to notice as many of their colleagues walked by and shot them curious looks. His entire attention was focused on Lexie. "He has been like this my entire life. Never thinking I was good, always judging me and thinking that he was better than I was. People react to low expectations, you know? Or at least I always did. Every time he said I couldn't do something, I just had to prove him wrong. Did you know I took the MCATs on a bet?"

Lexie shook her head, surprise on her features.

"I wasn't going to be a doctor, I was going to be a lawyer," Mark confessed in a low voice, so only she could hear. "My father…he a partner at this huge law firm in New York, and his father was before him. And that was always the plan for me as well. I went to Columbia, and it didn't really matter what I majored in, so I did pre-med like Derek and the rest of my friends. But I was headed to law school, so my bachelor's degree could be whatever I wanted. I was basically guaranteed admission into the law school of my choice because of my father. Anyway, one night Derek, Addison, Sam and I got really drunk. And Sam and Derek started ragging on me, telling me that I might do well in school, but that I could never pass the MCATs. I ended up betting Derek two-hundred dollars I would do better than he did."

Lexie smiled. "And did you?"

A smirk lit Mark's face. "I got a perfect score."

Lexie began shrieking with laughter. "I bet he never said anything after that."

"No," Mark said. "And after that, I decided to go to medical school. My father hated the idea, but me going into surgery softened the blow…of course, when it was Plastics I decided on, both he and Derek assumed I went into it because it was a soft specialty."

Lexie took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Well, considering you are one of five surgeons in the world who have preformed a successful face transplant, I think we both know that he is wrong."

Mark smiled at her, but it was laced with bitterness. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I am sure that my past is the last thing you want to hear about."

"Why on earth would you say that?" Lexie asked. "Number one, you are my friend so there is no topic off limits, and number two, you are the man I am _dating_," Lexie blushed as she said the word, "and the father of my yet-to-be-born-apple-loving baby…so, I want to know everything about you."

The smile that lit his face that time was real and genuine. "Lexie, I think I can safely say that you are unlike any woman I have ever known."

"In a good way?"

"In the best possible way," Mark said. Leaning in, Mark cupped her face once again and kissed her. Lexie loved the way his hands always seemed to engulf her face. It made her feel strangely vulnerable and happy, both at the same time.

He pulled back slightly, their faces still very close, and Lexie whispered, "Mark, there are people staring."

"Let them stare," Mark whispered back. In that moment, he didn't care if the entire hospital saw him kissing Lexie. There was no where else he would rather be.

* * *

An hour later, Izzie opened the door to the Emerald City Bar. The inside of the bar was dark, even though it was early in the day. She appreciated the anonymity the darkness provided, but it didn't matter when she saw the bartender.

"Izzie!" Joe said, surprise in his every word. "What are you doing here?"

"Joe," Izzie said, sitting down at the barstool. "I need to do some drinking. Can you do me the biggest favor in the entire world? Can you just keep the alcohol coming until I am too drunk to remember why I felt the need to do the drinking in the first place?"

"Izzie, honey," Joe said, patting her on the hand. "What's wrong?"

She put her head down so it touched the wood surface of the bar and said, "Everything."

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**_Review Please!_**


	12. Seems That No Matter How Hard I Try

_**I know, I know...I totally suck. A combination of a personal crisis and vacation has prevented this story from being updated in a month! Totally unacceptable and feel free to throw virtual tomatoes my way. Thank you to Shanynde and Jewelse96 for their lovely PMs. And as always, thanks to Mere. When I told her I was think about updating tonight, she didn't miss a beat before encouraging me. You are totally Awesome Sauce, girlfriend!**_

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Chapter Twelve – Seems That No Matter How Hard I Try_

Within a matter of hours, it was all over the hospital that Mark Sloan—big, bad, mean, Mark Sloan—was seen kissing Lexie Grey in front of the hospital. Most of the people who heard the rumor took it as a confirmation that the two had indeed been in an on call room the week before. It seemed, as odd as it was, that Mark and Lexie were in a relationship. Added to the drama of that, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Sloan weren't talking, and the whole hospital seemed to be waiting to see what would happen. But if they were expecting drama, they were sadly disappointed. The most dramatic thing was witnessing Mark being so considerate and caring of Lexie.

That in itself though, was a major shocker to see.

In the two weeks since they had been observed kissing in front of the hospital, Mark and Lexie were rarely seen without the other. Mark had ensured that Lexie was assigned to his service, and she seemed happy to be wherever he was. They now ate lunch together, could be seen laughing in the halls together, and Mark appeared to be getting coffee for _her_ (It was actually herbal tea, but no one else knew that). Most of Lexie's fellow interns had started to ignore her, but she didn't mind; Mark was enough.

And as for him, Mark seemed utterly transformed by the idea that he now had two people to take care of. After a lifetime of self-sufficiency and independence, Mark secretly reveled in the fact that he now had someone to worry and care about. In his most honest moments, Mark was able to admit to himself that he came to Seattle not because of Addison, but because he was lonely. With Derek and Addison gone from New York, Mark had felt once again like that child his parents left behind when they would go out at night. It was loneliness which had driven him to Washington, but it was Lexie that was keeping him there.

Which was why, three weeks after the initial conversation, Mark and Lexie were apartment-shopping. They had seen two apartments they liked. One had been a penthouse which Mark had adored, and the other had been a condo, which they both had liked. But this morning, they were finally seeing the apartment, which was more like a townhouse, near Madison Park that Mark had told her about during the doctor's appointment.

"As you can see, the paneling is original; as is the flooring." They were being led around by the owner, Daniel, a man in his mid fifties with a prematurely white head of hair and a full beard who reminded Lexie of Santa Claus. He seemed to like them on sight, and was now touting the benefits of the apartment, which was easily the most beautiful that Lexie had ever seen.

The bottom floor of the townhouse had wood parquet floors, which gleamed as Mark and Lexie walked upon them. The walls were paneled from the floor to the middle of the wall in a rich wood that had been painted white; a light blue, which reminded Mark of the sky, had been painted on the walls above. The ceilings had white crown molding, and they too had been painted that light blue color. It was obvious that someone had deeply loved and cared for the apartment, and every fiber in Lexie's being screamed that this was the apartment for them.

The only thing that could possibly take away from her excitement and happiness was the queasiness which had plagued her all morning. And now Lexie was, as she clutched tightly to Mark's hand, fighting that very nausea back as she walked though the bottom floor of the two-story apartment. She loved everything she was seeing, and she only wished that she could enjoy it more, but Baby Sloan seemed determined to be uncooperative that morning.

"Can we see the bedrooms?" Lexie asked Daniel, wanting to move as quickly through the apartment as possible.

He led them to a staircase in the hall, and they steadily made the climb to the upper level. Mark was asking all sorts of questions, and he seemed to be getting along well with the owner, who was from New York originally as well. When they got to the top, they were immediately ushered into a small, but beautiful, room. Decorated in seashell wallpaper, the small room had white shelves along the far wall, and a window-seat that Lexie could immediately see herself sitting on, while rocking a baby in her arms.

"Oh, Mark," Lexie said. "It's perfect for the baby!"

"Baby?" Daniel asked, missing nothing. A happy smile lit his face as he regarded the couple before him even more favorably. "You are having a baby? Congratulations. When are you due?"

"Not 'til early next year," Mark said proudly. "Lexie is six weeks along now, but we wanted to be settled before our daughter comes."

"You know it's a girl already?" Daniel asked in surprise.

"No," Lexie replied with a laugh. "Mark is just convinced that it is." Lexie was in awe at how wonderful Mark was about the baby. His excitement was so present at all times; it even made her happier than she already was. Even now, he was just standing there holding her hand, while smiling indulgently. If she wasn't experiencing it, Lexie would never have been able to believe it.

Next, Daniel led them into the master bedroom, which had an ensuite bathroom and French Doors which led to a balcony.

"I have to say," Daniel commented, "this is my favorite room in the apartment. It has so much character. You notice that there is a recessed spot in the far wall where the bed can go, and little alcoves were you can put your own personal touches. There is also the port window in the attached bathroom. Oh, and the doors to the balcony can even be opened while it rains as well. The balcony was built slightly tilted, so the water drains off."

It was so utterly perfect; Lexie didn't need to see any more. She squeezed Mark's hand, causing him to look down at her. After looking at her for a fraction of a second, Mark nodded his head in silent understanding.

They were getting the apartment.

Mark opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Lexie's stomach rebelled, sending her running into the bathroom. She couldn't even feel embarrassment over throwing up in front of the owner, not yet anyway. She felt Mark pull back her hair as she emptied her stomach; he gently rubbed her back, as he always did, while she vomited.

Once she was done, Lexie stood and wiped her mouth, as Mark turned to the owner and said, "We'll take it."

* * *

"Look on the bright side," Mark said, several hours later when they had returned to the hotel room. "We could have hated the place. Then you would have been _really _embarrassed. At least with us renting the townhouse, it is not like he has to keep showing it to other prospective clients with you having puked in the toilet."

Lexie, who was lying on the bed with an arm over her face, groaned. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well," Mark said, his voice lowering, "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is."

"I just keep seeing the shock on his face over and over," Lexie moaned.

"Aw, Lex," Mark said. "Think of it this way, you were kind of christening the apartment for us. Besides, you are not the first pregnant woman who has thrown up somewhere inconvenient, and you won't be the last." Mark crawled onto the bed with her, propping himself up on his elbow by her stomach. Examining the flat surface, Mark began to gently rub it while dragging his knuckles back and forth. He was fascinated by the idea that soon her stomach would burgeon with his child. Lexie had cautioned him that there was still time before she would begin to show, but Mark seemed to think he was seeing microscopic changes daily. Lexie didn't have the heart to contradict him, especially when she was thrilled by the attention he was paying her and the baby.

"Ugh, now I will forever be the woman who puked in his mind," Lexie said. "I am just glad we don't have any friends anymore. There is no one for you to share this horrifying story with."

Mark paused in stroking her stomach. "What do you mean by that?"

"By what?" Lexie asked, removing her head from under her arm.

"By saying we don't have friends," Mark said.

"Well, we don't really," Lexie said, looking at him and placing her hand over his on her stomach. "Derek and Meredith aren't talking to us, and neither are any of my fellow interns. The only person who has been remotely supportive is Dr. Hunt."

"Does that bother you?" Mark asked quietly. He was almost afraid of her answer.

"No," Lexie said, almost surprised by her answer. "We had sort of become independent from everyone else at the hospital, even before we started sleeping together. We were Mark and Lexie then, and we are Mark and Lexie now."

Mark nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean. You knew all my secrets before, and nothing has really changed. You are the only person I would want to tell about having a baby, and it just makes it that much more fucking amazing that you are the one I am having that baby with."

Lexie began to slowly run her fingers through his hair as she quietly spoke. "So, you don't miss having Derek to talk to?"

He sighed. "The time when I confessed my secrets and problems to Derek had passed long before you came into the picture, Lexie. Derek was the only person I could really talk to when we were younger, but that faded once we grew up. I didn't have anyone I could really talk to…until I met you." His steel blue eyes met hers in the light of the hotel room. "You've changed everything, Lexie."

Lexie's breath caught in her throat at the look of adoration in Mark's eyes. Since she had confessed her love to him, the subject of feelings had seemed to be off the table. But now, as he looked at her like that, Lexie felt hope on that score for the first time in a long time. Perhaps he didn't love her today, and perhaps he wouldn't love her tomorrow, but looking into his eyes gave Lexie the hope that _one_ day he would be able to learn to love her.

"Oh, Mark," She whispered raggedly, her voice filled with desire and longing.

Seeming to sense the shift in tone, Mark gently kissed her belly and then crawled up her body. As he cupped her face in his hands, Mark's face filled with wonder. "God, you are so beautiful. I could look at you forever." His voice was low and raspy, but that didn't take away from the sentiment.

"Mark…" Lexie murmured his name, leaving no doubt as to what she wanted with her tone.

He felt his body immediately respond with a swiftness that surprised Mark to no end. "Jesus Christ, Lex. All it takes is for you to say my name like that, and I am as hard as a rock. How the hell are you doing this to me?" Pushing her thighs to either side of his hips, Mark rubbed his hardness against her.

Lexie made a keening sound in the back of her throat, rubbing her hips against his. She began to toss her head as Mark moved his pelvis repeatedly against hers.

"Enough of this shit," Mark growled. He then yanked his sweatshirt over his head, baring his chest. Lexie's top followed suit, as did her pants and underwear. Once she was naked, except for the white socks on her feet, Mark yanked down his pants and plunged into her.

Lexie gasped, not fully having been prepared for him.

"Oh, fuck," Mark swore. "I'm sorry, Lex." He made a move to pull out, but she still his motion with her hands, clutching his hips to her still.

"No, don't," Lexie said as her body suddenly expanded and dampened to accept him. Mark felt her muscles ease…and then he began to move. Lexie was sure that she would never tire of the way his body felt when he was moving deep within her. There was a special kind of magic that only he could produce, and the way their bodies were together simply defied all that she had even known about sex. At first, Lexie had thought the reason sex was so intense was because Mark was so experienced, but then she had realized she was not alone in being shocked at how amazing the sex was. Mark seemed just as stunned at the way their bodies fit together, and how they seemed to naturally know all the ways to please one another.

Gently circling his hips, Mark angled them just the way that Lexie liked, causing her come and to clench spasmodically around his penis. Mark clenched his jaw, thrust a few times more, and then collapsed on top of Lexie, before rolling to his side to prevent crushing her and the baby.

In the aftermath, Lexie always seemed to feel closer to Mark than she had the time previously. But this time, for some unknown reason, tears filled her eyes.

"Hey, hey," Mark said gently. "What's wrong, Lex?"

"I don't know," Lexie said, not even knowing why she was crying.

"Was I too rough?" Mark asked, his voice filled with self-loathing.

"No, no," Lexie said adamantly. "You were wonderful. It's just, I can't… I don't…"

Mark stoked her hair, knowing she liked that when she was upset.

Lexie's watery eyes met his dry ones, and she asked, "Have you just ever been so full of emotion that you don't even know how to express it? Like your world is expanding, and every emotion that you have ever felt is bubbling to the surface, and yet you have no idea how to let it out?"

"Yeah," Mark whispered, continuing to gently stroke her hair.

"You have?" Lexie asked, her eyes shining up at him. "When?"

"The moment you told me you were pregnant." Mark kissed her softly, trying to pour everything he could not say into that single kiss. "I never thought it was possible to be that powerfully happy, and that deeply scared, all at the same time. Every doubt I have ever had about myself ran through my mind, along with every belief. It was the most intense moment of my life."

Lexie wiped the tears from her face, and asked, "In a good way?"

"In the best way," Mark said, kissing her again. "I think that moment was the making of my life."

Lexie was shocked by his confession, but at the same time, she knew what he meant. She took his knuckles and gently kissed them. "It was the making of mine as well, Mark."

"Lexie," Mark began, cupping her face. "I…"

She held her breath, not daring to hope he was about to say the words she most wanted to hear.

Looking down at her, Mark's face split into a smile. "You make me very happy, Lexie."

They weren't the words she had longed to hear, but in a way, they were almost better. Lexie smiled, and then said, "You make me happy too, Mark. You make me happy too!"

TBC

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	13. Feels Like Theres Something Just Missing

_**Thank you for the reviews, enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Thirteen – It Feels Like There's Something Just Missing Inside_

_Two Weeks Later…_

Slowly trudging up the flight of stairs for what felt like the millionth time, Mark gradually carried the cumbersome box into the bedroom, setting it down right by the door. "There!" Mark said with a grunt. "That is the last of it."

Turning from the book shelf she was unpacking books onto, Lexie smiled at him. "That was the last box?"

"Yes," Mark groaned, collapsing onto the bed which the movers had delivered earlier that morning. It was a brand new bed, and it hadn't even been made yet. "All boxes labeled KITCHEN are in the kitchen, all labeled BEDROOM are in the bedroom."

"And all the things that got shipped from New York?" Lexie asked, referring to the boxes that had arrived the pervious day from Mark's storage space.

"Safely stowed downstairs. I will go through all those things tomorrow," Mark promised.

"Good," Lexie said, smiling a beaming smile at him. "We are making a lot of progress."

"_You_ are making a lot of progress," Mark said. "I have never seen someone unpack boxes so quickly."

"I don't like clutter," Lexie said, rather defensively. Mark grinned at the petulant look on her face, wondering how it was possible that she could look so cute when she was pouting.

"That is fine with me," Mark said. "You can set everything up just the way you want."

Lexie sighed. "Well, I am happy to do it. I feel so guilty for forcing you to do all the heavy lifting by yourself."

"Don't," Mark said, a frown crossing his face. "You aren't doing any lifting when you are already carrying my baby."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Yes, master."

Mark grinned, and beckoned Lexie over to the bed with the crook of his finger. Lexie put down the books in her hand, and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Mark moved from where he was lying, and sat closer to her and began to rub her back.

"Ooooh," Lexie moaned. "That feels good. I am barely pregnant and yet my back is sore already."

"Barely pregnant," Mark said with a snort. "Lex, you are two months pregnant and you are already showing."

Lexie froze, and turned to look at Mark with a glare. "Mark Andrew Sloan, you take that back. I am certainly not showing. It is way too early for that. Are you implying that I am fat?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "You have…what's it called? A baby bump. You have a baby bump, Lexie." Her mouth dropped open. He continued, "It popped up this week. How is it that I have noticed it and you have not?"

"You better pray that you are wrong," Lexie said, getting up from the bed and rushing into the bathroom. She then lifted up her shirt and gasped when she saw the gently rounded surface of her abdomen. The difference would have been next to unnoticeable for anyone but her and Mark, but Lexie could see it clearly now.

Mark stood in the doorway, watching her with a smug grin on his face. "Told ya. My baby is making her presence known."

Tears filled Lexie's eyes.

"God, Lex," Mark said, shocked to see her really upset. "What's wrong?"

"Most women don't show until the fourth month. Don't you see what this means, Mark?" Lexie asked, the tears now flowing in earnest.

"No," Mark said. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I am only eight weeks pregnant, and yet I am showing," Lexie sniffed. "This means…this means that by the end of this pregnancy I am going to be FAT!!!" She sobbed out the last part.

Mark felt like laughing, but he knew that was the absolutely wrong reaction to have. Instead, he tried to think of what Derek would do when one of his sisters was feeling insecure. With that in mind, Mark stepped into the bathroom and wrapped Lexie in his arms. "That is ridiculous, Lex," Mark said. "You will not be fat; you will just be very, very pregnant."

"But if I am already showing now…" Lexie managed.

"It means nothing," Mark said firmly. "You are a tiny person, Lex. You are what…5'2? Does it really surprise you that you are showing so soon?"

Lexie sniffed against his hard chest, and mumbled, "I guess not. My mom showed really early too."

"There, you see?" Mark soothed. "You are just following in your mother's footsteps."

"But Mark…"

"Yeah, Lex?"

"What happens if I do?" Lexie wanted to know.

"Do what?"

"Do get fat," Lexie said. She looked up at him, her dark eyes curious, but cautious. "Are you going to lose interest in me?"

Mark grinned. "At this point, I seriously don't think that is possible, Lexie. I seem to want you no matter what happens. Besides, I have a feeling that seeing you carrying my baby is not something that is going to turn me off."

Lexie's eyes widened when she understood his meaning. "Really? You think my baby bump is sexy?"

"Yep," Mark said, kissing her neck and pressing his hardness up against her. "What can I say? I guess I am a perv, who is deeply attracted to the visual of you pregnant with my child."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Lexie said with a grin.

"Feel better?" Mark asked, looking down at her.

"I guess I was being a little silly," Lexie said.

"Just a bit," Mark agreed. "Besides, by then end of this pregnancy, you will probably be the one who doesn't want to have sex. You will probably be very uncomfortable. Which, actually, might be a good thing. With the amount of sex we are having, I wouldn't be surprised if you break my penis one of these days."

"Hardee har-har," Lexie said sarcastically. "That's not funny."

Mark snickered. "If the idea of that doesn't even…er, _deflate_ me, you can be sure that you gaining a few pounds won't either." He kissed her neck again. "But maybe you are still feeling insecure. I should probably prove how much I want you."

"Right now?" Lexie asked, looking at him.

"What's wrong with right now?" Mark asked, affronted.

"It's just that…"

"What?" He asked.

"You smell," Lexie said sheepishly.

Mark roared with laughter. "That's because I have been moving us into _our_ apartment."

"You're all sweaty," Lexie whined.

Reaching past her, Mark flipped on the tap for the shower. "Guess I will have to get clean then. Come on, Grey. You can keep me company."

Lexie giggled, and happily began stripping off her clothes to follow him into the shower.

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"Is it true about your sister?"

Meredith turned to look at Cristina, who was standing at her elbow, waiting for an answer. "What sister?"

"The one who works here at the hospital," Cristina said. "You know, short, puppy-dog eyes, having a hot and steamy affair with a certain attending."

"Oh, her," Meredith said. "What about her? I haven't talked to Lexie in a while."

"What do you mean?" Cristina asked. "You live with her. Are you telling me that you give each other the silent treatment in the upstairs hallways?"

"Well, Lexie hasn't slept at home in a long time, and then yesterday I was walking by her room and all of her stuff was gone," Meredith said.

"So it is true," Cristina said, nodding with satisfaction.

"What?" Meredith asked, wondering how Cristina knew something about Lexie that she did not.

"That she moved in with McSteamy."

"What?" Meredith gasped. "I thought she had moved back in with George! Are you telling me that she and Sloan are living together?"

Cristina nodded with satisfaction, a gleeful smile on her face. "Apparently, she and Sloan arrived to the hospital together this morning, and then Shirley and McSteamy went down to HR and changed their addresses on file."

"I don't believe it!" Meredith said. "Why would Lexie not tell me?"

"Uh, hello!" Cristina said with disbelief. "Judge, much? You have been nothing but dark and twisty about your sister and Sloan. Why would she tell you anything? Not to mention the fact that your fiancé has almost come to blows with McSteamy more than once. For once, I think Lexipedia is doing the smart thing."

Meredith felt some guilt, which she immediately pushed away. "Figures. She was all 'Let's be sisters,' but now, when she has something big, she doesn't tell me. I can't believe they moved in together!"

"Who moved in together?"

Cristina and Meredith turned to see Derek and Izzie standing there. "Uh, no one important," Meredith said.

"Yeah," Cristina added. "Some people from Peds, you probably don't know them."

"Oh, a couple from Peds?" Izzie exclaimed. "I know lots of people in Peds. Who is it?" Meredith tried to give Izzie a look, but Izzie would not be deterred. "Was it Colin and Jessie? They are so cute together, though I bet it is hard for her to date one of her nurses, even if he is a guy. Oh, tell me. I want to know!"

"It's Lexie and Sloan, alright?" Cristina snapped, annoyed with how bubbly Izzie was getting. "They are shacking up now."

"What?" Izzie gasped.

"You knew about this?" Derek asked, looking at Meredith with a betrayed look in his eyes.

"Not until five minutes ago," Meredith said.

"God, what a mess," Derek said, slamming the chart he was holding onto the counter. "What are we going to do?"

"Do?" Meredith and Cristina repeated.

"Derek, what is there to do?" Meredith asked. "Lexie is a grown woman; we can't very well stop her."

"Is that all the reaction you have to this?" Derek asked incredulously. "Why are you not more upset?"

"Um, maybe because Lexie is an adult and can make her own decisions," Meredith said, not knowing why she was defending her sister.

"But he's Mark," Derek said.

"Yeah," Meredith replied. "And up until a month ago, he was your best friend."

"That doesn't mean he is good for your sister," Derek countered.

"Oh, stop it, both of you," Izzie said with a sigh. They turned to look at her, and Izzie forced herself to speak, though all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and have a good cry. "Mark is not going to hurt Lexie. They were friends long before they started hooking up. And they didn't start doing that until very recently. If they want to live together, it is no one's business but theirs."

Derek shook his head in disagreement, grabbed the chart, and walked away.

"Iz, why are you sticking up for Sloan?" Cristina asked. "I thought you hated him."

"I'm not sticking up for Sloan," Izzie lied. "I am sticking up for Lexie. She is my friend, or was until I became so judgmental. We just need to cut them both some slack, you know?"

Meredith and Cristina looked at each other and shrugged.

Izzie walked off then, no longer able to pretend she was feeling happy. She knew that it was irrational that she felt this way, but she couldn't help it. There was this fundamental part of her that felt betrayed. In her rational mind, Izzie didn't want Mark to be alone forever and she didn't want him to pine after her. But in her heart, in that selfish part of herself where she hid away her secrets, she had hoped that he would at least be alone for just a little while. Long enough, at least, for her to be able to convince herself that she hadn't made the worst mistake of her life in marrying Alex.

Izzie continued down the hall, but stopped short when she saw Mark and Lexie coming towards her. Mark was leaning down to listen to Lexie speak, and his hand was solicitously on her back. He seemed enraptured by whatever she was telling him, and Lexie's face was filled with a mixture of adoration and contentment.

They were oblivious to her.

Izzie ducked into a storage closet, and let them pass her by. Sinking to the floor, Izzie laid her chin on her knees. As she sat there, she extended her hand and examined the ring on her left ring finger.

It felt tighter than it had the day before.

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	14. O Lord, What Can I Say? Part Two

_**Yay, I am finally updating again! Life is crazy, and you all have been amazingly patient. Enjoy!**_

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Chapter Fourteen - _O Lord, What Can I Say?_

Some mornings, when Lexie would wake in the circle of Mark's arms, she would just lie there without moving. She allowed herself to take in the smells and the silence, savoring the feel of the man she loved. Just four months ago, her current happiness would have seemed impossible to her.

But it was real, and it was hers.

Lexie knew most women would not have considered an unplanned pregnancy and a relationship with an emotionally unattached man ideal, but Lexie didn't care about any of that.

Because this was _Mark_.

The man whose arms she was lying in, who was making her so blissfully happy, was the love of her life. That meant something to her.

The details and obstacles were inconsequential. Yes, the deck was stacked against her, but Lexie refused to dwell on that. It said so much about the way Mark felt about her that they were even here at all.

Six months ago, Lexie had been madly in love with her best friend without any hope of a cure. When he had first rebuffed her, Lexie had tried with all of her might to rid herself of the feelings that she unwittingly felt. She had tried to think of all his bad qualities, enumerating them over and over in her head. They were, but not limited to, his arrogance, his inappropriate one-liners, his slutty behavior and his willingness to sleep with anything in a skirt (but not Lexie), and the fact that he didn't see her the way she desired. She had worked herself into quite a pique, too.

She told herself that she didn't need him, that he was a fool. So the night after he had turned her away from his hotel room, Lexie had even gone so far as to get dressed up and go to Joe's in search of a one-night stand.

There she had been, sitting next to an incredibly attractive man, and all she could think about was all the ways that he was all wrong. His voice was too high, his nose too crooked, his stubble to short, his hair to light with no gray in it. Finally, Lexie had realized that it was no use; he wasn't Mark. She had then thanked him for the drink and left the Emerald City Bar alone.

The next morning, Mark had finally found her and wielded his way back into her good graces, refusing to believe that they weren't going to be friends anymore. He had annoyed her until she finally tossed up her hands and said, "Fine! Stop bugging me, and I will meet you at Joe's after work."

In the past three months that she had been with Mark, Lexie had often wondered what would have happened if she had gone home with that anonymous man in Joe's. Would something have developed between them? Or would their one night together have made Lexie mad enough to kick Mark out of her life for not wanting to be with her too? Lexie shuddered at the thought that something could have kept her from her current happiness.

She knew she shouldn't think such thoughts, that she shouldn't borrow trouble, but on dark mornings like this…she couldn't help it. There was one small part of her that kept waiting for the moment.

The moment when the other shoe would drop, and Mark would be off.

Her current happiness couldn't last forever, could it?

Now, fully awake, Lexie shook the arm that was wrapped around her torso. "Come on, Mark. Time to get up."

"Hmm?" Mark murmured, as he was returning to wakefulness.

"Wake up," Lexie said. "It's time for the appointment."

"Appointment?"

"We are going to hear the baby today."

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"I bet she has my eyes."

Looking up from arranging the gauzy drapery over her lap, Lexie cocked her head to the side and said, "Excuse me?"

"The baby," Mark clarified. "I bet the baby has my eyes."

Lexie snorted, hoping the thin cotton paper wasn't too transparent. "Well, whether she does or not, it won't be determined for quite sometime."

"I'm just saying," Mark commented with a smug grin. "Be prepared for the baby to be a stunner."

"How about healthy?" Lexie said with a roll of her eyes. "I think I would be grateful for that."

"Well, now you have made me feel shallow," Mark said, pouting slightly.

"Sorry," Lexie said with a grin. "But if the shoe fits…"

"Hey, I wouldn't be pointing fingers Miss Messy," Mark said. "You are far from perfect, and the dishes collecting in our kitchen would agree."

"Mark!" Lexie exclaimed. "There are not dishes collecting in our kitchen, and that was one time! Besides, if you are that offended by messiness, feel free to do them yourself."

"Can't," Mark said, with a feigned pained expression. He held up his hands and said, "We wouldn't want to hurt the money makers."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "As if doing the dishes once would give you carpel tunnel."

Mark just grinned at her.

"Okay, Dr. Grey and Dr. Sloan, is it?" A small female technician stepped into the room. Looking up from her chart, she saw Mark and Lexie nod, and then smiled at them. "Dr. Grey, you are having a vaginal ultrasound. Are we ready to get started?"

"Yes," Lexie said with a gleeful smile.

"Aren't you a little young?" Mark said, narrowing his eyes at the technician.

"Ignore him," Lexie said to the started woman. "This is our first baby, so he is a little over protective.

The technician nodded and then sat down. "Feet in the stirrups, please," She said to Lexie. Mark paled when he saw the wand she pulled out. He wasn't sure he wanted to watch this.

"Just hold my hand," Lexie said. "And look at my face. We aren't going to see anything today anyway."

"That's right," The technician said, getting everything into place. "Today, we just want to hear your baby's heartbeat." Once she was ready, the technician switched on the machine and suddenly the room was flooded with the fast sound of their baby's heartbeat.

Mark was in awe. It was magical to him that the rapid and thready sound he was hearing belonged to the daughter he would have in seven months time. Leaning over, he kissed Lexie's forehead. "That's amazing."

But Lexie wasn't sharing his excitement. Her face was tense and worried, and Mark then realized that the technician looked the same way. "What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

A tear slipped down Lexie's face, and she turned towards him. "It's too fast, Mark. Something's wrong with the baby."

"What?" Mark asked, his face showing his surprise. "But babies' hearts are supposed to be fast. It might be many years since I did an obstetrics rotation, but I know that much."

Lexie shook her head. "Not this fast, Mark."

He had never seen Lexie with such a look of utter despair on her face before.

"I'll be right back," The technician murmured after she removed the wand from Lexie.

"Oh, God Mark," Lexie said after the door clicked closed, still clutching his hand. "The baby is in distress. Fast heart rate means the baby could have a congenital heart defect, or I could lose the baby!"

"Calm down, Lexie," Mark said, gently, but firmly. "We are _not_ going to loose this baby. We don't know anything yet, and let's not get riled up just because we are doctors. All us being doctors means is that we know all the things that_ could_ go wrong. This could be something very normal that we are blowing entirely out of proportion."

The tears that had been flowing steadily down her cheeks ceased, and Lexie nodded. "Okay."

They sat together for some time, with Mark murmuring to her and trying to ease her fears. After fifteen minutes had passed, the door opened again, with the harried-looking technician entering, followed by Dr. Sullivan.

"Hi Lexie," Dr. Sullivan said, calling her by her first name for the first time. "Andrea noticed a slight abnormality with the heart rate, and if it is all right with you I want to do a regular ultrasound at this time."

Lexie nodded, the tears that had begun again dripping down her face. Dr. Sullivan helped her sit up, and then pulled up the smock to bare her abdomen, leaving her lap covered by the cloth. Squeezing the cold gel on her gently rounded stomach, Dr. Sullivan twisted and twirled the wand a few times, while turning to look at the image on the screen. She had flicked on the sound as well, and that fast, fluttering heartbeat filled the room again.

The speed of it worried even Mark this time.

Lexie's eyes were squeezed shut, and she refused to look at the screen. It is because of that reason that she did not see what Mark and Dr. Sullivan saw at the same time. Mark gasped and Dr. Sullivan turned to him with a smile.

"I take it that you remember enough of OB/GYN to know what you are looking at?" She asked, a grin splitting her face.

Mark nodded, his face covered with awe. "Lexie," he said, his voice rasping. "Open your eyes, honey."

Lexie slowly did as he bade, turning to look at the doctor. Turning the screen so she could see, the doctor pointed to an image on the screen. "That is your baby." She then moved her finger slightly and said, "And there is its twin."

Lexie gasped. "So it's not… the baby's not… everything is okay? We are having twins?"

"Everything is okay," Dr. Sullivan confirmed with a nod. "Your twin's hearts are beating in tandem right now, but that is nothing to worry about. On your next appointment, we should be able to isolate them and identify which is which."

"Are they boys or girls?" Mark asked, a dazed quality to his voice.

"It is too early for that, Dr. Sloan," Dr. Sullivan said with a gentle smile. "I can tell you though, that you are having fraternal twins."

"We are?" Lexie asked.

"Yes," Dr. Sullivan said, pointing to the screen. "You can clearly see two sacs on the screen."

The grin she had been holding back finally split across Lexie's face as she looked at the screen. "This is just amazing!"

"I will, of course, want you to alter your diet," the doctor said. "You will need to eat more, and you will be more tired than usual. I can recommend a great book _When You Are Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads_."

"Oh, good," Lexie said. "Thank you."

"No problem," Sullivan said, patting Lexie on the shoulder. She then printed out the pictures for Lexie and Mark to take home. She handed them to Mark, who took them without a word. After she was done, she said, "My nurse will give you directions and prescriptions when you schedule your next appointment on the way out. Congratulations."

The doctor and the technician left, leaving Mark and Lexie to their busy thoughts. Lexie, for her part, was extremely happy and chatting a mile a minute. "—this is so wonderful. Twins, can you believe it? We are going to have two little babies to spoil and love. This is so amazing; I don't think I have the words." Once she finished dressing, Lexie gently covered her abdomen with both hands, and asked, "You know what the best part of this is?"

Mark shook his head silently, darting looks to the pictures in his hands.

"I am not getting fat!" Lexie crowed. "I was so worried, but it was nothing like that! We are having twins." Mark smiled distractedly, and then Lexie realized for the first time, that he was not having the reaction she would have hoped for. It occurred to her then that she had no idea how he felt about this latest development.

"Mark?" She said tentatively. "Are you okay?" Lexie braced herself for the bad reaction he had never had the first time.

Mark was staring at the ultrasound picture in his hands, barely moving. Then, looking up, he walked around the exam table and held the picture out to Lexie. "Is that not the most amazing thing you have seen in your entire life?"

The breath she had been holding in rushed out of her, and Lexie felt happy relief.

But from the look on his face, Mark was having a much more intense reaction than Lexie had first suspected. In that moment, for the first time, Lexie realized just what the expression on Mark's face was. It wasn't fear, or even awe…it was _gratitude_. Suddenly, she understood the complex emotions that must be coursing through his body.

For his entire life, Mark Sloan had never been able to _truly _depend on anyone, not even Derek. In essence, he had always been without an anchor. Nothing keeping him in one place for any longer than he wanted to be there. Lexie had understood that he wanted to belong, but she had never really understood what it meant to him. Now, as he held the filmy and fuzzy picture of his future babies in his hand, Mark finally had a purpose. He was aimless no longer.

He had a family.

Mark looked at Lexie, indeed feeling all the things she had just been thinking. Staring into her brown eyes, Mark no longer felt lost. For one perfect moment, he felt _found_. He knew then that he was forever bound to the woman standing in front of him, and love was only a tiny part of the myriad of emotions running through his heart.

Intense relief led Lexie to press gently against him and rest her forehead against his own. His breath was hot on her face, making Lexie feel completely content. Meeting his eyes, Lexie's own sparkled with happy tears. "Those are our children, Mark."

"Yes," He said, wrapping his arms around her, completely blissful. "Our children, and the beginning of our family."

TBC

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	15. I Am So Sad Since You Went Away Part 2

_**Hi Everyone! Hope you enjoy, it is a rather angsty chapter! With fluff, of course. Also, see if you can spot my favorite Mark and Lexie lines from the show which I have used here.**_

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_Chapter Fifteen – I Am So Sad That You Went Away_

"Dr. Hunt!"

Owen turned at the sound of his name being called. When he saw the man calling it, his face relaxed into an easy, if harried, smile. "What can I do for you, Dr. Sloan?"

"I have a favor to ask of you," Mark said. "It is really important."

"Can we walk and talk?" Owen asked. "I have an emergent surgery right now, and I really need to get to the scrub room."

Mark nodded, and matched his strides to Owen's fast and measured ones.

"So, what is going on?" Owen asked as they headed to OR Two.

"I have a favor to ask."

"Yes," Owen said, smiling again, "You said that part."

"Right, right," Mark said, his voice unsteady. "The thing is, I am not really sure of where to begin."

"How about at the beginning?" Owen suggested sardonically. "That always helps."

"Well, you know about Lexie's and my…situation."

"Dr. Sloan, you don't need to use a euphemism. I think everyone in the hospital knows about your 'situation' by now." Owen was enjoying teasing Mark immensely. It was obvious he didn't like asking for favors.

"They do?" Mark's eyebrows shot up. "You told them?"

"I told…Oh!" Owen exclaimed as they turned the corner. "That situation! I thought you meant you and Lexie living together."

"Wait, what?!" Mark started in surprise. "You know about that?"

"The whole hospital knows about that, Mark," Owen said kindly. "They are very chatty in HR."

"Well, fuck," Mark swore. "That just makes everything ten times more complicated."

Owen lowered his voice. "What is so complicated about you living with the woman you are having a baby with? Seems normal enough to me."

"It's not that," Mark said. "It is the fact that when it all comes out, there is going to be so much trouble for Lexie. Not for being with me, but she is so concerned about being 'Mommy-tracked'. Please don't ask me to explain why."

"I get it," Owen said as they arrived outside the scrub room. "It is a complicated situation."

"That is why I need the favor," Mark cut in. "Lexie has been on my service for nearly a month now, and that is not healthy for her surgical career. She needs variety. I was hoping you would take her on your service for a while. Allow her work Trauma."

"Sure," Owen said. "Dr. Grey seems talented. I'd be happy to have her. Is that all?"

"No," Mark said. "I need you to keep a close eye on her. Don't let her do anything to strenuous, or work too hard. She really needs to take it easy, and I cannot trust any other attending to insure this for Lexie without telling them the reason why."

"Dr. Sloan," Owen began, "I know that as a first-time father you are a little uneasy—"

"It's not that," Mark said. "I know pregnant women can be just as good of surgeons as anyone. Just look at Bailey. No, what I am asking is because of the type of pregnancy that Lexie is experiencing. I don't think she really understands the toll it will take on her body, and especially after what we learned today…she needs to be careful."

"It's a high risk pregnancy?" asked Dr. Hunt.

"No, not really," Mark said. "It's twins, so that is kinda high risk in a different way."

"Oh, wow," Owen said. "Man, that's…Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Mark said with a smile. "It is pretty awesome. Lexie is practically bouncing off the walls." He then grew serious. "That is why I was hoping you would watch her. I think she underestimates what she will be feeling after working long hours."

"Say no more," Dr. Hunt said. "I am happy to help. But you do know that when Dr. Grey finds out about this she is going to yell at you?"

Mark smirked. "Oh, I have no doubt of it, but I know how to settle her down."

"Okay, too much information," Owen said dryly.

Both men laughed, and Owen held out his hand which Mark shook with enthusiasm. "Really man," Owen said. "Congratulations."

"Congratulations for what?"

Mark and Owen dropped their hands and turned to see Derek coming out of the scrub room.

"Nothing," Mark said quickly. "Just a successful surgery."

Derek looked at him shrewdly, but said nothing.

"Okay," Owen said. "I gotta go. And Dr. Sloan, what we talked about? Consider it done."

"Thank you," Mark said. Owen nodded and entered the scrub room, leaving Derek and Mark alone for the first time in nearly two months.

Looking at his former best friend, Mark wished there was something he could do to ease the tension between them. As much as he thought Derek was acting like a jerk, he still missed having him around. Lexie was his best friend, but it was hard not having a male opinion on his decisions, great and small.

"So," Mark said, trying to be calm. "How you been?"

"Awful," Derek responded. "I have had back to back surgeries for weeks now, and Meredith and I are busy planning the wedding. My life is chaos at the moment." His mouth then twisted in a bitter smile. "Guess there is no need to ask you how you are, is there? The whole hospital is talking about it. 'The Great Seduction of Dr. Lexie Grey'. An older doctor seducing his young student…you have become quite the cliché, Mark."

Any of the tiny hope that had been growing in Mark evaporated in that moment. He shook his head, and began to walk away.

"What?" Derek called. "Is it something I said? Or are you just too ashamed to face up to what you did?"

Mark froze. All the muscles in his body tensed, and he turned around sharply, grabbing Derek by his scrub shirt and slamming him into the wall. Derek's eyes registered surprise, but only for a moment. The anger that had been lying dormant in Mark for the last two months had now bubbled to the surface, fighting to get out.

"Listen to me very closely Shepherd," Mark growled, "because I am only going to say this once. No part of me is ashamed of what I have with Lexie. There is nothing you can say that would make me regret it for even a moment. For some stupid and immature reason, you have decided that me being with Lexie is your business. Nothing could be further from the truth. What Lexie and I have is _our_ business, and no one else's. You can dirty it, you can make your snide innuendos, but none of that can even touch what I have with her." Mark's eyes softened for a moment at the mention of Lexie, surprising Derek, but then they hardened again. "The only reason I didn't kick your ass months ago is because once upon a time you and I used to be friends… and Lexie wouldn't like it. And I care about making her happy. But as for you and me? Believe me when I say that I couldn't care less about what you think anymore. So throw it all at me, give me your best shot. Call me a jerk, selfish, a snake…I can take it. But if even one word of this…_venom_ reaches Lexie's ears, I will break your jaw so fast that you won't even see it coming."

Mark then released Derek abruptly, shoving him away from him. His disgust was clearly written all over his face. He then turned and walked away.

"She is too good for you!" Derek spat out. "You don't deserve her!"

Mark turned, and walked backwards, calling, "For once Derek, you are utterly correct." He then turned back around and walked away.

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"You paged me?"

Three hours after his chat with Mark, Owen Hunt turned from the post-op notes that were open in front of him. "Ah, Dr. Grey. Yes, I did page you. Until further notice, you are on my service."

"Really?" Lexie asked. "I thought I was on Dr. Sloan's service."

"It is important for you to have a full and complete rotation, Dr. Grey," Owen said. "I checked with your resident and she seemed to have no objection. And Dr. Sloan agreed as well, rather grudgingly."

"Oh," Lexie said, her face relaxing into a relieved smile. "In that case, great!"

Owen smiled at her enthusiasm, suddenly able to see clearly what Dr. Sloan saw in her. There was an innocence about her which had to be quite appealing to him. "Glad to hear you're onboard," Owen said. "Now, there is a non-emergent patient in Trauma Room One who needs to be prepped for surgery. Go get him started, and then you can scrub in."

"Yes!" Lexie said, pumping her fist in the air. She then rushed over to Trauma Room One to get started, but she came up short when she saw who was in the room with the patient. "Dr. O'Malley."

George's head snapped up when he heard Lexie speak his name. "Dr. Grey." He then bit the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling at her. "Can I help you with something?"

"Dr. Hunt asked me to prep the patient for surgery."

"Then you better get going," George said flatly.

Lexie nodded and began the usual prep procedure. After she had been working quietly for five minutes, she said, "I haven't seen you in a while."

George looked up from the chart he was reading. "No, you haven't." His voice left no room for discussion.

But Lexie persisted anyway. "How have you been?"

"Fine," George said, his voice steady, betraying nothing.

"Fine? Just fine, that's it?"

George looked up with exasperation clearly written on his face. "What do you want me to say, Dr. Grey?"

"We used to be able to talk to each other," Lexie said.

"Well, from the gossip I hear, you have Dr. Sloan for that now," George snapped.

"That isn't fair," Lexie said.

"Neither is finding out your best friend is sleeping with an attending from one of the nurses."

"You and I hadn't been talking for months," Lexie exclaimed. "And we were never really best friends."

"Then why are you talking to me now?" George said bitterly.

"We work together! Does me being with Dr. Sloan mean we can't be friendly in the hospital?"

"Yeah, Lexie, I think that is exactly what that means." George looked at her with censure in his eyes. "He slept with a married woman, Lexie. His best friend's wife. And then he comes here and sleeps with all the nurses on staff. Are you really so stupid as to believe that he isn't going to do it to you too?"

"Yes, that is what I believe," Lexie said, somewhat timidly. "Mark would never hurt me."

"You're a fool," George said, shaking his head. "Did you know that Alex is running a pool to see when Sloan cheats on you? The entire freaking hospital has money in on it!"

The tears that had been filling Lexie's eyes spilled over, and she began sobbing while clutching her stomach protectively, as if she needed to prevent the babies from hearing what he said. "How could you tell me that? Are you deliberately trying to hurt me?"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Lexie and George turned their faces to see Owen standing in the doorway.

Lexie couldn't answer, she was too choked up.

"Nothing, sir," George said. "Just a chat between two old friends."

"Somehow," Owen bit off. "I highly doubt that." Seeing the state Lexie was in caused any kindness he had for O'Malley to wither in Owen's mind. He growled, "You better get out of my sight, O'Malley. You are off my service."

"For today?" George asked in surprise.

"For the foreseeable future," Owen snapped. "Now get out of here."

George handed him the chart and stalked out the door. Owen then turned to Lexie, who was trying to hide her red, tearstained face. Momentarily, Owen thanked God that his patient was in a chemical coma, and then walked over to Lexie and gently rubbed her back.

"Are you okay?" Owen asked.

Lexie nodded, not trusting herself to breathe. She tried to calm herself down, but each breath she took unleashed more tears.

"I'll get Mark," Owen said quietly, walking over to the phone on the wall to page him.

Lexie wanted to call out to him, to tell him to stop, but then she realized Mark was exactly who she wanted to see.

Within two minutes, Mark was rushing into the ER. "Where is Hunt?" He snapped at the nurse sitting behind the counter. When she told him, he quietly slipped into the Trauma Room. He stopped short when he saw the tears on Lexie's face, and the look of concern that Owen had.

"What happened?" Mark asked, his voice fighting to remain steady.

"She had some words with O'Malley," Hunt said.

Mark nodded, and opened his arms, which Lexie gladly ran in to. "Oh, Mark," She sobbed. "He said…the most hor—rible things! He said there was a pool!"

"Wait, what?" Mark asked. "What are you saying, Lexie?"

"The whole hospital has a bet going on about us," Lexie cried. "He told me."

"Is this true?" Mark asked Owen, looking over Lexie's head.

"If it is, this is the first I have heard about it," Owen replied. Owen wanted to say more, but after seeing the way Mark and Lexie were looking at each other, he quietly left the room, leaving them alone with the unconscious patient.

"Is he emergent?" Mark asked, indicating the patient.

"No," Lexie said, shaking her head. "He is in a chemically induced coma for the pain."

Mark nodded, then focused his attention back on Lexie. "Lex, you can't let them get to you. Derek, Meredith, George…any of them. They can't understand us, so they make judgments and try to say what we are, and what we aren't. Derek said some nasty things to me today, too. But we can't let them win. They don't know us, Lexie." Mark gently kissed the side of her face. "They think what we have is ugly, but I know it's not. It's beautiful."

Lexie looked at him, her eyes shinning at his words.

"We can survive this, Lex. We can."

"You are right," Lexie whispered. As she stared into his eyes, she gave a tiny little sad laugh.

"What?" He asked. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because it is so ridiculous," Lexie said, with a small, but sad smile. "Don't you see, Mark? They keep telling me that you are going to hurt me, that you are going to break my heart. But the only people who have hurt me are them. They are the ones breaking my heart Mark, not you." She looked down, rubbing her belly gently. Then, looking back up at him, she smiled and said, "Rather ironic, isn't it?"

Mark marveled at the way she could always see the bigger picture as he pulled her tighter to him and whispered, "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met."

Lexie rested her head against the smooth planes of his chest, and murmured, "We don't need them. We have each other."

"Yeah, Lex," Mark whispered back. "We have each other." He then grinned wryly and said, "And the babies make four."

This time, Lexie let out a real laugh.

TBC

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**_Please Review!_**


	16. Time, Time Ticking On Me Part 2

_**Hi All! Finally an appearance by Callie. I have been trying to fit this in for a while. Enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Sixteen – Time, Time Ticking on Me_

Collapsing on the couch next to Mark, Lexie exclaimed, "I am so tired!"

Not looking up from his book, Mark stated, "So go take a nap then."

"I would," Lexie said, "if I had any faith that I would fall asleep."

Mark set his book aside and grinned at Lexie. "If you aren't sufficiently tired, I can always help with that."

Lexie laughed. "You seem pretty sure of yourself there, tiger."

"What can I say?" Mark shrugged. "The Sloan Method always works; patent pending."

Lexie laughed. "Well, thanks for the offer, but two other little Sloans have sufficiently worn me out today, and on my day off too!"

Mark grinned. "Sure blame it on the babies. They aren't able to defend themselves."

Rolling her eyes, Lexie stood. "I am going to take a nap. Wake me in an hour and we can do an early dinner?"

"Okay," Mark said, his eyes glowing warmly at her. "Have a good rest." He then kissed her stomach. "You too, babies!"

Lexie smiled, and then left the room. Mark tried to get back into his book, but it was nearly impossible. He kept thinking of Lexie lying on the bed upstairs, with her hair spread out against the pillow. After ten minutes of reading the same page over and over, Mark stood and walked to the front hall. Maybe he should take a nap too. But before he could walk up the stairs, there was a quiet knock on the door.

Walking over to the heavy door, Mark opened it, saying nothing when he saw who was standing on the other side.

"Hi!" Callie said, holding up a bottle of Glenlivet scotch. "I brought libation as a bribe."

"I'm sorry," Mark said, crossing his arms and blocking the doorway. "Do I know you?"

"Okay," She said, looking chagrined. "I guess I deserve that." Mark's face did not alter in expression, causing Callie to sigh. This was going to be harder than she had thought. "Alright, I am a horrible friend. I got totally lost in my new lesbian adventures that I forgot about you, and haven't been there for you these past couple months."

She sounded really contrite, causing Mark's expression to soften a bit. "So what are you doing here Callie?"

"I wanted to see the new place, and then I figured that you, me, and Lexie could hang out. It _is_ true that you two are living together, right?"

Mark sighed. "Yes, it's true, but she is sleeping right now."

"Oh," Callie said, feeling a bit as though Mark didn't want her to enter the house. "Maybe some other time, then?"

Sighing again, he stepped aside and said, "We can talk in the kitchen."

A smile split Callie's face and she quickly took in her surroundings when she stepped inside. It was an old-fashioned type space, but Callie liked the way someone (Lexie, she presumed) had selected modern furniture and colors that complimented the history of the house. The living room was quite elegant, silvers and many shades of blue matching the walls well. Callie knew that Mark and Lexie had moved in fairly recently, and yet there was not a box to be seen, and no indication that they had recently moved. The townhouse looked as though Mark and Lexie had lived there for quite some time.

"Through here," Mark said, taking her past the living room and through a swinging door which led to the kitchen. The kitchen was done in stainless steel, and Mark led her to the island in the middle, which had stools around it. Callie sat, and Mark got glasses for the scotch.

"Wow," Callie said after a moment. "This is really nice. Not what I would have pictured for you at all, Mark."

"What do you mean?" He asked pouring a glass for both of them.

"There are no leather couches or entertainment centers."

Mark laughed. "I take it you did not notice the obscenely large flat screen in the living room?"

"No, I didn't," Callie said, chuckling. "So…"

"So…" Mark repeated. "Why now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why am I hearing from you now?" Mark clarified. "I haven't talked to you in months, so what brought all this on? Why are you here this afternoon?"

Callie looked down at the amber liquid Mark had poured for her and she sighed. "Well, initially it was because I was in a new relationship, and I knew there was something going on with you. I never ran into you at the hospital and things just sort of slipped by the wayside. I know there is no real excuse, but I am sorry Mark. The other day, this really funny thing happened with Arizona and I wanted to tell you, but then I realized that I hadn't spoken to you in months. You had moved, and I didn't even know to where."

"How did you find out where we live?" Mark cut in.

"Owen told me, after I begged him for two hours and promised that I wasn't going to upset Lexie." She looked at him oddly. "Which was really weird, by the way."

"O'Malley said some things to her yesterday which…didn't end well. Owen and I are just trying to keep Lex as stress free as possible."

"Why?" Callie asked. Mark looked at her with a stony face. Callie knew then that this was one topic Mark was not open to discussing. She waved her hand, and continued, "Anyway, I just missed having you as my friend. And I am sorry I took you for granted."

"Apology accepted," Mark said.

Callie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. Now, tell me everything!"

"Everything?" Mark asked, quirking his mouth in a grin.

"You went from screwing the nurses to being in a monogamous, cohabitating relationship in a three month period. That requires some explanation."

Mark laughed. "Well, it all started the night of Izzie's wedding…" Mark told her, leaving out the detail of Lexie's pregnancy, all about how he and Lexie had gone from friends to more. It was funny; up until recently, if Mark had said Izzie's name, he would have felt a pain in his chest. But he didn't feel one this time. So much had changed; _he_ had changed. Life had moved on. He had barely seen Izzie since she had been back from her honeymoon and he was totally okay with that.

"Wow," Callie said when he had finished telling the tale. "My God Mark… I think you are in love with her."

Mark smiled. That idea, too, was no longer scary. "Lexie is everything to me."

Callie chuckled. "All those months that you two were just friends…I should have known that you two would eventually end up here. No two people can look at each other like you two do and not be burning for each other underneath."

Rolling his eyes at her imagery, Mark took a sip of his scotch. "Yes, I was definitely kicking myself when I realized that I had wasted so much time." Mark sighed. "There was more than one reason I resisted, especially Derek, but when it finally happened, none of those things mattered, you know?"

Callie nodded. "Mark, speaking of Derek…"

"What?"

"Well, he came to me and tried to get information about a week ago. Of course, I knew nothing and told him that, but there was something about his manner that was a little concerning to me. He seems really upset about you being with Lexie."

"There isn't anything I can do about that," Mark said. "Derek and I have had words, but he has been warned. As long as he doesn't upset Lexie, I can just ignore him."

"He's supposed to be your best friend," Callie said. "Why isn't he on your side?"

Mark looked down at his hands, and then finally admitted something he had figured out, but didn't want to say. "I don't think Derek ever forgave me for Addison."

"What do you mean? You guys seemed to move past it."

"Yeah, but I don't think we really did," Mark stated. "I think he was homesick, and it was at a time when things were bad with Meredith that we became friends again. I think, in a way, he just wanted someone to prop him up and get him through it. But Derek has never been concerned with my happiness. He knew I liked Addy in college, yet he still went after her. He used to tell me all about their marriage, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. And every time I tried to do better, every time I thought about settling down, there was Derek with a trip to the bar, eager to tell me why I was so lucky, and how his life was so miserable. But it wasn't, that was the thing. I think Derek enjoyed that I could never get my life together, but he had the perfect life…on the surface, anyway."

"And with Lexie?" Callie asked.

"With Lexie, he warned me away from her long before I had ever considered anything romantic. It is almost like he knew we would be perfect for each other. Wait," Mark said, "no, that is probably not fair. He couldn't have known, but still…he had no trust in the idea that I could do right by her. Our friendship here has been all about his trouble with Meredith. I would listen as he enumerated all the problems in his life, and then he would sneer and feel superior at the choices I have made in mine."

He sighed, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "But when it came to Lexie it was different. She was my friend long before she was something else. And once she was something else, I couldn't imagine going back to a platonic relationship with her. And, I have had no desire to be with anyone else since. I always thought that when I finally buckled down and committed that I would always be trying to resist temptation, but it isn't like that. I can't see anyone but Lexie."

His cheeks grew red from his confession, but Callie wisely didn't comment. Instead, she said, "I am just sorry you had to choose between Lexie and your friendship with Derek."

"It wasn't a choice," Mark said. "I never even considered my friendship with Derek. The thought of losing Lexie wasn't something I was willing to contemplate."

Callie tilted her head to the side, looking at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. "You've changed," She commented. "And I don't just mean with regards to Lexie, but I mean with you… You are calmer, more settled, somehow. I don't know what it is, but it is almost like…"

"Like what?"

"Like you have stopped running," Callie said. "You've really committed to staying in Seattle, haven't you?"

"All of my stuff has been shipped from storage there, I sold my bike, and I left a message with my parent's butler that I won't be coming back to New York."

"Wow," Callie said. "This is huge."

"No," Mark said with a laugh. "This is nothing compared to what is coming. If I tell you something, can you keep it to yourself? That means no telling Arizona, or Cristina."

"Of course," Callie said. "Tell me anything, I swear."

Mark pointed to the fridge.

Callie turned her head, looking where he was pointing, and gasped. On the fridge, Mark had taped one of Lexie's ultrasound pictures. Callie stood wordlessly, walking over to the fridge and examining the fuzzy image. Tears had filled her eyes when she looked back at him, "Twins?"

Mark smiled, nodding.

"That's amazing, Mark." Despite what she once had thought, Callie knew that Mark would make a good father. Seeing how solicitous he had been of Lexie these past few months was proof of that. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

"Mark?" The door to the kitchen swung open, and Lexie walked into the room.

"Congratulations!" Callie exclaimed, startling Lexie.

Lexie laughed in surprise. "Thanks Callie. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just came by to see you and Mark, and the new place, but he told me you were sleeping."

"I tried," Lexie said glumly, "but I failed. For some reason, no matter how tired I am, I am lousy at taking naps at home. No problem in the hospital, but here at home I just start thinking of all the things that need to get done."

Callie laughed. "I can understand that."

"Come sit down, Lex," Mark said, patting the stool next to him. "We were just talking about the babies."

"I was going to get some juice," Lexie said. Mark jumped up at that comment, ushering her to the stool and then walking back to the fridge and pouring her a glass of grape juice. Setting it in front of her, Mark kissed her temple, and then sat back down in his own seat.

Callie was fighting a grin at Mark's overprotective behavior, so to distract herself she asked, "Have you found out the gender yet?"

"Probably not for another two months," Lexie said, sipping her juice. "But they might be able to tell us in a month."

"That's nice," Callie said. "That way you can start planning the nursery."

Lexie's face softened happily. "There is such a beautiful room for it upstairs. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure," Callie said. "Lead the way."

Within a few moments, they had all left the kitchen. Callie followed behind as Mark led Lexie up the stairs, his hand resting on her back. He couldn't seem to stop touching her, as if he was trying to reassure himself that she was still there. Seeing him like that, Callie began to understand what he had been trying to tell her.

For Mark, Lexie was the one.

TBC

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**_Review Please!_**


	17. Alone Is the Last Place I Wanted to Be 2

_**Happy Saturday! I am stuck at home sick, so what better time to write an update! Hope you all enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Seventeen - Alone Is the Last Place I Wanted to Be_

The numbers blurred before his eyes as he stared down at the chart one more time. Owen knew there was nothing more he could do for the patient, but that didn't stop the guilt he felt whenever he could not save a life. Earlier that morning, a man had been admitted after falling off a twelve story building. For some miraculous reason, he hadn't died on impact, instead dying eleven hours later after he and Lexie had tried to save him. This all culminated in the headache that Owen had, and the exhaustion he was currently feeling.

"—and have you seen her lately? She looks like she gained ten pounds!"

Owen heard whispering, looking up to see Olivia and one of her fellow nurses gossiping.

"Well, that's what she gets," the other nurse said in reply. "Sleeping with Mark Sloan would drive any woman to an eating problem…but can you imagine living with him? She must keep him on a tight leash to prevent him from cheating."

"What do you think the eating problem is a result of?" Olivia parried. "I bet anything that she has already caught him with his pants down! They have been together…what, four months? There is no way Dr. Sloan stayed faithful to her that entire time."

"You know what I heard?" The other nurse whispered. "Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Grey aren't speaking to either of them. They probably feel stuck with each other now."

"Well, I don't know what Lexie Grey expected," Olivia commented maliciously. "Thinking she could succeed where the rest of us failed…serves her right that she is getting fat."

Owen, unable to listen to anymore, cleared his throat. Both nurses looked up with shock in their eyes, not having realized he was there. "You know," He said calmly, "You would think that with all the patients that need seeing too, you two wouldn't have time to sit around and gossip about people you don't know anything about."

Turning on his heel, Owen stalked down the hall. At first, when Mark and Lexie had asked his to keep their pregnancy quiet, he hadn't totally understood…but now, after the things he had seen in the hospital this past couple of months, Owen understood perfectly.

Checking his watch, Owen realized he was running late. He better hurry if he wanted to make it to dinner on time.

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"Mark!" Lexie called. "Have you seen the paprika?"

Walking into the kitchen, Mark smiled at the harried look on her face. Reaching across her towards the spice rack on the counter, he handed her the small bottle.

Lexie sighed when he handed it to her. "What would I do without you?"

"Constantly be searching for spices?" Mark speculated with a wry grin.

"Smart ass," Lexie murmured.

In the last month, they had really settled into a perfect kind of life together. With Callie now in on their little secret, work had become much easier for Lexie. Between Owen, Callie, Arizona, and Mark, she was able to move around enough so other people didn't notice the sparseness of her rotation. And Cristina, who had never been inclined to do anything nice for Lexie, was beginning to give her a break too, allowing her to be on the service of the attendings and residents who asked for her. Lexie couldn't help but wonder if Callie and Owen had double teamed her, but whatever happened, she was happy about the result. Mark, for his part, steered clear of Derek at work. Lexie had wondered if this would lead to a complication in their own relationship, but Mark seemed happy enough to let Callie and Owen fill the void. She, Mark, Callie, Owen, and Arizona had made a habit of getting together once a week for dinner or drinks. Lexie and Arizona had become friends after Lexie had told Callie she could tell her girlfriend about the pregnancy, and it was nice for Lexie to have someone to talk to other than Mark.

And as for their home life, neither Mark nor Lexie had known that it was possible to be this happy. They had settled into a content little routine, revolving only around each other. Mark scheduled his days off so they coincided with Lexie's, allowing them to spend as much time together as possible. On their nights off, they would take long walks around the edge of Lake Washington and through the park by their townhouse. They had explored their little neighborhood, and sampled some of the restaurants nearby. People who lived in the community recognized them now, smiling and nodding as they passed on the street. Lexie loved this, for it was the best kind of acceptance, something she could not receive at the hospital.

On her time off, as well, she didn't bother trying to hide the baby bump which was now prominently displayed. She was three months pregnant, but she looked five months along. Lexie was deeply proud of this fact, so she wore shirts that showed it off, wanting the world outside Seattle Grace to share in her happiness.

Mark would smile whenever he would see her in one of her clinging tops, and then he would reach out and rub his hand over the taunt and rounded skin of her belly. He delighted in all the changes her body was going through, touching her constantly, as if he could measure the changes with the shape of his hands.

And he was doing it right now. Coming up behind her, Mark wrapped his hands around her middle, gently feeling and touching the surface. Tucking his nose into the crook of her neck, Mark murmured, "You smell nice. Like summer and …_apples_."

Lexie swatted one of his arms, causing Mark to laugh. Much to her chagrin, her craving for apples had not gone away, it had only intensified. She was now eating them two or three times a day. Mark delighted in teasing her about it.

Turning to face him, Lexie locked her arms around his neck and said, "You know, you are lucky I like you."

"Oh, yeah?" Mark asked, kissing her neck.

"Yeah," Lexie said, "Or I'd leave you behind for saying something like that."

Mark chuckled. "Something tells me you wouldn't get too far."

Lexie swatted his arm again, trying not to laugh.

The doorbell rang, and Mark said, "Ah, saved by the bell." Mark ducked the towel flying towards him, chuckling as he walked from the kitchen to the front door. Opening it, he smiled when he saw Callie and Arizona holding up a bottle of wine, "Hey! Come in, Lexie could use a distraction before she attacks me."

"What did you do now?" Callie asked, shoving the wine at him.

Mark deftly caught it, and said, "I didn't do anything…just don't mention A-P-P-L-E-S."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to provoke a pregnant woman? They are like walking time bombs."

Arizona was trying not to laugh. "You deal with this one," she said to Callie. "I'll go find, Lexie." Setting her purse and sweater on a side table, Arizona walked towards the kitchen. "Lexie?"

"Hi!" Lexie said to Arizona when she stepped into the kitchen. "I thought I heard you."

"Is Mark giving you a hard time?" She asked with a smile.

Lexie waved her left hand as she pour paprika over the chicken with her right. "Oh, you know Mark. He can't help himself."

Both women laughed. Lexie then turned towards her, causing Arizona to gasp in surprise. "Jeez, Lexie. You grew overnight!"

Lexie patted her stomach. "I know, it is crazy, right? Soon, I am going to have to get the scrubs with the elastic waistband."

Arizona smiled. "Well, just think of the two beautiful babies you are going to have."

Lexie smiled. "I certainly am. I have been thinking about it a lot lately. Mark is getting excited to know their sexes, but I am getting eager to meet them. I want to see their pretty blue eyes."

"How do you know their eyes will be blue?"

"All babies eyes are blue when they are born," Lexie said. "But more than that, these are Sloans. There is no way they aren't going to have their daddy's blue eyes."

"Is someone talking about me?" Mark asked, stepping into the kitchen with Callie.

Lexie smiled. "Of course not, we are talking about Owen."

"Very funny," Mark said, kissing her cheek. "Where is Owen, by the way?"

"Oh, I am sure he will be here soon," Lexie said. "He was very upset about that patient we lost today. I think he just needed a moment to himself."

Mark nodded. "Too bad Cristina is no help in that area."

"Mark," Lexie said warningly.

"What? It's true." He then turned to Arizona and Callie. "How about we crack open the bottle you brought? Lexie, do you want some juice?"

"No, I am fine," Lexie said, turning back to the chicken, while handing him the bottle-opener.

The doorbell rang again. "I'll go get it," Arizona said, as she walked through the swinging door.

Mark pulled down four wine glasses, liberally pouring the wine into each of them. Then handing one to Callie, he clicked their glasses together and said, "Cheers."

In a moment, the kitchen door swung open again, and Arizona and Owen walked in.

"Hey," Mark said, greeting him with an outstretched hand. "Did you get held up at work?"

"Yeah," Owen said, "And I also got into a fight with Cristina."

Mark shot Lexie a meaningful look.

"What happened?" Lexie asked, her face full of compassion.

"She doesn't…I don't know, understand…" Owen trailed off, saying no more. If Mark had learned one thing about him in the last couple of months, it was that he wouldn't talk 'til he was ready.

Arizona patted his hand in sympathy, handing him a wineglass. "You know what we need to do?"

"No," Owen replied. "What?"

"We need to find you a new girl," Arizona said. "There are plenty of cute nurses in Peds."

"Thanks," Owen said with a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay," Lexie said. "About thirty more minutes until dinner."

"Hey, we're good," Callie said, nibbling on the cheese plate Lexie had set out. "Take your time."

"So," Arizona said, setting down her wine, "I found this little boutique that sells the cutest baby clothes you could ever imagine."

"And they're off," Mark said to Owen. "Come into the living room, I think the _Galaxy_ game is on."

"Cool." With that, the men left the kitchen, allowing the women to talk all about the baby clothes that Lexie would need to get, once it got closer.

Flicking on the TV, Mark found the channel the game was on, then turned the volume down low. Turning to Owen, who had taken a seat in the side chair, he said, "So?"

Owen sighed. "She wants to know what is going on with you and Lexie. She won't understand why I won't tell her. I never thought Cristina was so controlling and petty, but she just won't let it go. She wants to know too why Callie and I are so quick to defend her."

Mark sighed too, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Fuck, I am sorry, man. The last thing I wanted to do was to put you in the middle."

"No, it's okay," Owen said. "I am more angry at her that she won't just let it go. She and Meredith are so bad for each other."

"Yeah," Mark said. "Derek often said that too."

"They just egg each other on, you know? I don't know why, but they bring out the worst in each other."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, you are definitely not alone in that opinion. So what are you going to do now?"

"What can I do?" Owen asked. "People are going to figure out about Lexie soon enough, and after that she will know what I was keeping from her. The only thing is, I am not sure that I want to wait around for that."

"Are you really going to break up with her?"

"I don't know," Owen said, taking a gulp of wine. "Maybe. I'll see how I feel tomorrow."

"That is probably a good idea," Mark said. "Don't make any sudden decisions."

"Hey," Owen commented, "You are good at this."

Mark made a face. "I ought to be after listening to Derek's woman problems for the last twenty-five years."

"And yet," Owen said with a smile. "Despite all that, you seem to have the woman thing figured out."

Mark smiled, thinking of the pregnant brunette in the kitchen. "Yeah, I think I finally do."

"Hey man," Owen said. "I heard some nurses talking today—"

The doorbell rang.

"What the…?" Mark trailed off. Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw who was on the other side. "Meredith? Cristina? What are you two doing here?"

TBC

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	18. Lord, What Can I Say? Part 2

_**Hi All, sorry this chapter took so long. I wrote it two different ways, but I decided I like this way best. Hope you do too!**_

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_Chapter Eighteen – Lord, What Can I Say?_

"Meredith, what the hell are you doing here?" Mark repeated, not even sparing a second glance for Cristina.

"McSteamy," Meredith said, gritting her teeth. It was as if by saying his belittling nickname, she was trying to place Mark into a tiny box of which he could not escape.

"We have come to…to get back Owen!" Cristina exclaimed.

Considering the fact that she was slurring every word, Mark quickly deduced that Cristina was smashed. Meredith looked sober enough, though. Turning to Cristina, Mark asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Forget this!" Cristina slurred, pushing against Mark. "Owen! Owen! I know you are in there!"

Owen, who had been waiting in the living room, walked incredulously towards the door when he heard Cristina call his name. "Cristina? What…What are you doing here?"

Cristina shoved by Mark to get to Owen. Grabbing Owen's lapels, she said, "We've come to rescue you! Quick! Before the icky happy people infect you."

"Umm…" Owen said, reeling back at the smell of liquor on her breath. "Rescue me from what, exactly?"

"The Pod People, of course!" Cristina exclaimed. "Ever since…Ever since Sloan and Lexie got together, they have gotten all bright and shiny! It's cont…con…contagious!"

Mark was standing there, trying not to laugh at the look of horror and annoyance on Owen's face.

Prying Cristina's fingers off of his shirt, Owen grabbed her chin and said, "Cristina, look at me. Look at me! You and Meredith need to go home now." Turing to look at Meredith, he said, "Have her sleep it off. I don't know what you were thinking in coming here, but I am not amused."

"You mean you didn't call?" Meredith asked. "Cristina said you called, needing a ride."

"No, I didn't call," Owen said, gritting his teeth.

"But that is why Derek and I came to get you," Meredith said.

"Derek is here?" Mark asked in surprise.

"He's in the car," Meredith said absently, watching Cristina closely.

"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me," Mark muttered.

"No," Cristina said, her eyes wide. "She isn't kidding you." She then stood in the doorway waving her arms. "Derek! Derek!" She began gesturing for him to come up to the house.

"Unbelievable," Mark said, looking over at Owen who was looking more and more annoyed. "They have got to go now!"

Owen followed the nod of Mark's head towards the kitchen, understanding what Mark was indicating. He nodded back at him. They had to get the girls out of the house before Lexie came out.

Derek came jogging up to the house. "You guys got Owen? Let's go!"

"Shepherd, Meredith" Owen said. "What on Earth made you think this was a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Derek answered, stepping into the house and not even looking at Mark, who was glaring at him with his arms crossed. "Cristina said you called her for a ride. And obviously she couldn't drive herself, so Meredith and I were driving her here, then home."

Owen rolled his eyes. "I did not call Cristina for a ride. I am here having dinner with friends."

"And you three are crashing," Mark supplied helpfully. "So, if you will just be on your way…" Mark tried to usher Cristina towards the door.

"No, McSteamy!" Cristina exclaimed, planting her feet on the floor. "We have to get Owen!"

Cristina then moved over to where Owen was standing, and began tugging on his hand. "Let's go!"

While Mark seemed to find this whole thing annoying _and_ amusing _and_ aggravating, Owen just found it annoying and aggravating. "Cristina," He began, "I don't know what part of our fight tonight would make you think this was a good idea, but it wasn't. I came here to spend time with Mark and Lexie, and you need to go now."

"Lexie?" Cristina said, as if she was realizing Lexie lived there too for the first time. "Why would you want to sp…spend time with her? She is all Shirley Temple sweet, and Snow White innocent." Cristina then spun in a circle. "I don't even see her. Is she invisible? Where is Lexie? Lexie!" She called. "Lexie!" Cristina darted into the living room before Mark and Owen could stop her. "Where are you, Lexie?"

"Okay," Mark snapped, coming into the living room after her. "Derek, Meredith, take her home. NOW!"

Derek nodded. "Come on, Mere. Get her, and let's go."

"Lexie!" Cristina continued bellowing in a sing-song voice. "Where are you?"

"What is going on out here?" Lexie stepped into the living room after hearing all the yelling, closely followed by Callie and Arizona. Upon seeing Cristina, Derek, and Meredith all standing in her living room, Lexie gasped with surprise.

"There she is!" Cristina exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "See, Meredith? She isn't invisible after all!" Cristina then cocked her head to the side, as if she was lost in thought. "Were you pregnant earlier today?"

Mark lowered his face into his hands, knowing that this reveal could not have gone worse.

Lexie placed her hands protectively on her belly, not noticing Arizona and Callie had inched closer to her for moral support. "Yes, Cristina," She said calmly. "I have been pregnant for quite some time now."

"I'll say," Cristina said. "You are all fat and everything!"

"All right," Mark snapped, going to stand by Lexie. He wrapped and arm around her waist, touching the side of her baby bump. "That is enough. You three, get out of here!"

But neither Derek, Meredith, nor Cristina moved. They were all staring at the picture that Mark and Lexie made, with her looking so pregnant.

"Unbelievable," Derek whispered. "I seriously don't believe it."

"You got something to say, Derek?" Mark snapped.

"Oh, I am just adding up all the times you lied to my face and said nothing was going on with you and Lexie." Derek gestured to Lexie's stomach. "All evidence to the contrary."

"What happened between me and Lexie is our business," Mark said. "We don't owe any explanation to you."

"Really?" Derek said, laughing bitterly. "I have four sisters, and I have seen them all at various stages of pregnancy. I'm guessing Lexie is about five months pregnant, maybe six?"

"Actually," Lexie began, "I'm—"

Mark squeezed her hand, urging her to silence.

"I can't believe I ever thought we were friends," Derek said. "You swore things were different. And I fell for it again; hook, line, and sinker! What happened, Mark? Couldn't find enough women at the hospital to seduce? You always did like them young, didn't you?"

Lexie felt Mark tense by her side, but he said nothing in his own defense. _It wasn't like that_, Lexie wanted to scream. Their relationship wasn't dirty, not like Derek was implying.

"Wooo!" Cristina slurred. "He's mad!"

Owen shook his head at her.

"What I can't understand," Derek spat, "Is why you feel the need to use Lexie like this. She is a good person, and yet you are dragging her down with you. And why did you keep it a secret? Were you ashamed, Mark? Is that what this is about?"

"All right," Owen snapped. "That is enough. You don't know what you are talking about, so don't presume to judge Mark and Lexie. You don't know the first thing about their relationship."

"Oh, but I know Mark," Derek said. "And that is all I need to know."

"You are wrong," Owen said.

"Am I?" Derek asked. "Then why isn't he defending himself? He is letting me say anything and everything, but he has nothing to say in his own defense."

"I haven't said anything," Mark said quietly, "Because I have no reason to defend myself to someone who doesn't matter. You are not my friend, Derek; therefore, I don't care what you think."

The room descended into absolute silence. Lexie squeezed Mark's hand, trying to give him comfort and support. Mark briefly looked down at her, meeting her eyes. He was surprised by the range and depth of emotion that he saw there, but it gave him comfort. It was obvious to him that Lexie was by his side, one hundred percent. It was humbling that she put that much faith in him.

When she spoke, it was with a clear and resolute voice, surprising everyone except Mark. "Derek, Meredith…you should go now. Take Cristina with you, and leave our house. You are not welcome here." Mark held her hand tightly, knowing how hard it was for Lexie to send away the sister she had only ever wanted to be close to. "You have made your feelings quite clear on the subject of me and Mark, and you can have nothing left to say. I suggest you leave. We were about to have dinner, and you three are intruding."

There was silence again. But then Owen moved to stand by Lexie and Callie, so that the five of them faced Cristina, Derek, and Meredith. It was very clear who was on whose side.

Meredith must have sensed what Derek could not, for she stepped to Derek's side, pulling on his arm. "Derek, maybe we should go." She shot a look of disdain towards her sister. "There is nothing else we need here."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Callie said, speaking for the first time. "Go home, now." Arizona nodded her head in agreement.

"And take Cristina with you," Owen said, anger tightening every one of his features.

Lexie nodded along with what her friends were saying, but then she suddenly felt dizzy.

Her heart, which had been beating so steadily until this point, began to beat like a jackhammer. Lexie could practically feel it through her chest. The intensity of what she felt could not be measured. She tried to cry out, to get Mark's attention, but there were no words for it. She needed to speak, she needed to have him hear her, but all the things she wanted to say were getting stuck in the back of her throat. Looking up at Mark, Lexie gave a tiny tug to his hand, trying to get his attention.

"Lexie?" Mark asked, looking down at her. His voice sounded far away to Lexie's ears. "Lexie? What's wrong?"

She couldn't speak. She wanted to, but she was having too hard of a time forming the words. What was it she wanted to say? Lexie knew there was something, but she couldn't seem to remember it.

"Lex? Honey?" Mark said, not even noticing the endearment slip off his tongue. "Talk to me."

As much as she wished she could, Lexie just couldn't. And she was losing the battle of her eyes too. Closing them gently, Lexie felt her knees buckle, and then she knew no more.

"Lexie!" Mark yelled, as she slumped against him.

"Oh my God," Callie said.

Mark eased Lexie to the couch, shouting to Owen, "Get some water, quick!"

Derek and Meredith and Cristina just stood there, out of the way, watching as Mark tried to revive Lexie, while Arizona took her pulse.

Owen came back, handing Mark the water, which he tried to use to revive her. When that didn't work, Mark swung Lexie into his arms and said, "I need to get to the hospital now!"

"I'll drive," Owen said, rushing in front of Mark, and out of the house. Callie and Arizona followed too.

Mark went after them, Lexie in his arms, sparing no glance for the three uninvited people standing in his living room.

The only person who mattered to him was Lexie.

TBC

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	19. How Many Rules Can I Break?

_**Sorry for my tardiness. This chapter was a bitch to write, plus RL has been kicking my ass. Anyway, enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Nineteen – How Many Rules Can I Break?_

Tapping her pen on the chart in her hand, Izzie Stevens looked thoughtfully down at the information before her. She was the resident on call that night, but she hadn't been paged once, so she was looking over old cases. Seattle Grace was empty on this particular evening, something that Izzie wasn't grateful for.

Ever since she had returned from her honeymoon, Izzie had tried to divide her life into neatly organized sections. There was work, Joe's, and home. At work, she tried to stay as busy as possible and _scrub in_ as often as possible. At Joe's, which she had taken to habitually visiting before going home, she tried to _drink _as much as possible. And then, when she could think of no more reasons to avoid going home, Izzie would return to the small apartment which she and Alex now rented and try to _forget_ as much as possible.

She tried to forget that once she had Mark's undivided attention. She tried to forget that she had been in his bed, receiving some of the greatest pleasure of her life. She tried to forget the look on his face when she had told him that night meant nothing. She tried to forget the looks of longing he would send her in the months that followed. But mostly, she would try to forget the way that he seemed so damn _happy_ now.

It seemed no matter where she went in the hospital, Izzie ran into Mark and Lexie. She saw them in the stairwells, sitting quietly talking with their heads pressed together. She also saw them coming from the on call rooms, their faces red, but satisfied. She saw them sitting together at lunch, watching as Mark said something quietly which caused Lexie to laugh out loud. Izzie knew though, that for all her observation, they didn't see her. She was just one of the many people in the hospital that was observing this shocking romance with bated breath and watchful eyes.

Izzie supposed this was the punishment she was meant to receive for her bad choices. Instead of seeing the man that Mark truly was, she had dismissed him and his feelings towards her. She had run into the safety of Alex's arms, heedless of anything but self-preservation.

But it all evened out, Izzie thought. Here she was in an absent marriage, her and Alex more like two ships passing in the night than spouses, and Mark was in a happy and satisfying relationship. Payback truly was a bitch.

Her pager chose that moment to go off, pulling her from her thoughts. Tossing her garbage into the trash, Izzie headed down to the ER. She had absolutely no idea what waited for her there.

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Mark had lost all track of time. From the moment he had set foot in the ER, with Lexie in his arms, he had become a mere observer. Instead of a surgeon who dominated his field, Mark was now the family member, waiting for any news of their loved one. Lexie was lying so very still on the gurney as Arizona and the Head of Obstetrics examined her. Mark would have moved closer to hear what they were saying, but Callie and Owen were holding firmly to his arms. He supposed he could have fought them, but Mark felt curiously devoid of strength at the moment.

Arizona normally never worked with expectant mothers, but Mark had asked her to stay with Lexie and watch the Head of Obstetrics. He knew he wasn't in a rational frame of mind to be involved, and he needed a doctor on the case who knew and cared for Lexie.

"Mark," Callie said quietly. "Maybe we should go sit down."

Mark wordlessly shook his head.

"It's a good idea," Owen added. "You must be dead on your feet."

Again Mark shook his head. "I need to be here if…_when_ she wakes up. She is gonna be surprised to be a hospital, and I don't want her going through that alone."

But despite his words, Mark allowed Owen and Callie to lead him out of the ER and into the waiting area. They all sat together there, quietly waiting for any word.

After twenty minutes had passed, Mark looked up to the sound of brisk footsteps coming towards him.

"What did you do?" Bailey demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Dr. Bailey," Callie began, shaking her head. "This isn't the best time."

Bailey waved her hand dismissively. "Please. Dr. Sloan, did you or did you not impregnate one of my residents and then neglect to tell me?"

Mark looked up, his face baffled. "How did you know that?"

"Please," Bailey said. "I know everything that goes on in this hospital, and you three shouldn't forget that. Now, if you had told me about this yourselves, I might have been able to prevent all the gossip swirling around the two of you now."

"I don't care," Mark said gravely. "None of that matters right now."

Bailey rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "What do you mean?"

"Lexie's been admitted to the hospital, Bailey," Callie said. "We don't know what is going on."

Bailey started in surprise, obviously not having heard that part of the gossip. Without another word, she headed straight for the ER. Mark suddenly felt better knowing Bailey too would be looking out for Lexie and his babies.

The trio waited for nearly two hours, when Arizona came out to see them. Looking straight at Mark, she said, "Lexie has Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. We ran a CBC and found that she has elevated blood pressure and protein in her urine. We are running more tests to see how severe it is. She is in and out of consciousness right now, but once we get her stabilized, she should wake up immediately."

Mark squeezed his eyes shut, wishing she had said something, anything, else.

"Lexie told me a couple days ago that she has been very tired lately," Arizona continued. "That is one of the symptoms as well. Unfortunately, we wrote it off as a symptom of her carrying multiples."

"She has been tired," Mark agreed. "Could I have…did I…we never stopped sleeping together. Did I cause this?" His eyes looked haunted as he spoke the words that frightened him to his very soul.

"No," Arizona said gently. Kneeling on the floor in front of him, she took his hand and squeezed. "PIH happens in multiple pregnancies sometimes, Mark. You didn't cause this."

Mark nodded, clearly not believing her. "The babies? Are the babies going to…?"

"They are alright for now," Arizona said. "We will know more when the rest of the tests come back, and believe me, they are being rushed."

Mark nodded again, not able to think of anything else to ask.

"Bailey is moving her into a private room in the OB ward. I can take you there."

The four of them stood, walking quietly to the elevator. Owen and Callie both wanted to say something comforting, but they knew not what. Owen had never been in this situation, and he wouldn't even know where to begin. But Callie, she kept quiet for another reason entirely. She was silent because she was busy praying with all her might. Mark had already lost one baby; she knew he wouldn't survive losing two more.

When they reached the Obstetrics ward, Arizona led them down a hushed hallway. It seemed all wrong to Mark. He wasn't supposed to be here yet. Not for another six months. And it was supposed to be a happy occasion; he wasn't supposed to feel like he was dying inside.

"Wait here," Arizona said quietly. "I will make sure that all the nurses are gone."

Mark nodded. He had no desire to see anyone but Lexie. She hurried off, and Mark clenched and unclenched his fists, trying not to think of all the ways this night could still end in tragedy.

"Mark."

Owen, Callie, and Mark all turned to see Derek and Meredith standing behind them.

Derek looked especially guilty, but there was still the vaguest bit of smugness on his face. "Mark, look, about what happened—" Before Derek could finish articulating his thought, he found himself pinned to the wall with Mark's arm slammed against his throat.

"Lexie is in here because of you!" He growled, his eyes dark with anger.

"Mark!" Callie exclaimed. "Let him go."

But Mark either didn't hear her, or chose not to listen. "Let me make something clear," Mark bit off, every word he spoke enunciated and cold. "If anything happens to Lexie or my children, I will hold you personally responsible." Heedless to the cries of Callie, and Owen's attempts to pull Mark away, he continued. "You will rue the day you ever said anything to make her upset; I'll make sure of it."

When Mark released him suddenly, Derek slid to the floor, clutching his neck as Meredith rushed to his side.

"Mark?"

Mark turned to see Arizona smiling at him, heedless of the drama that had just unfolded in the hallway. "Lexie's awake, and she's asking for you."

A million emotions ran through Mark's mind, but the one that stood out the most was utter relief. Without further delay, Mark rushed down the hall to Lexie's room, with Arizona following him, not paying one bit of attention to his former best friend who was crumpled on the floor.

Callie and Owen began to move down the hall as well, when Meredith's voice stopped them. "He said children."

Owen turned to look at her, but said nothing.

"Mark," Meredith clarified. "He said 'if anything happens to Lexie and my _children_'. Why did he say that?" She knew the answer, and she thought Derek did too, but she needed to hear it expressed out loud.

"He said _children_," Owen said coldly, "because he meant _children_."

"They're having twins," Callie supplied, her voice cold and remote. Her arms were crossed across her chest as she suddenly remembered all the reasons that she had hated Meredith initially.

Derek slammed his hand against the floor, as he contemplated the magnitude of the mistake he had made. "How far along?"

Owen and Callie looked at him belligerently, their posture indicating their disdain for the couple before them.

"Please," Derek said, his voice scratchy. "I need to know."

"Not that it is _any_ business of yours," Callie said scathingly, "but Lexie is fourteen weeks along."

Meredith lifted her head in surprise. "She is? I thought she must be at least five or six months pregnant."

"That would be impossible," Callie said, "considering her and Mark have only been together since Izzie's wedding."

"But I thought…" Meredith said, trailing off.

"You both thought a lot of things," Owen cut in. "But from what I can see, you knew nothing, despite that."

Callie and Owen then turned and left, walking down the hall to wait outside Lexie's room, leaving Derek and Meredith alone with their thoughts.

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Quietly opening the door to her room, Mark eased inside. Lexie was lying there, so still and her eyes were closed. He wondered if she was unconscious again, but then she opened her eyes.

"Mark," She whispered.

"Lex," He responded, rushing to her side. When he got right next to her bed, he gently eased himself onto it, pulling Lexie onto his chest. Then, without saying a word, Mark began to stroke her hair.

After a long while, Lexie whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Mark asked, not knowing what she had to apologize for.

Wiping the tear that dripped down her cheek, Lexie replied, "Everything. I have done nothing but turn your life upside down since you met me. I got pregnant, forced you into a relationship, and now you are hurting because of me. I ruined your life. I wrecked it, and you, and broke it into a million little pieces."

Mark gaped at her, shocked that she could take it all on herself like that. "Listen to me, Alexandra Caroline Grey. You can regret what happened between us all you like, but don't think for a single minute that I regret it too. You coming into my life was the best thing that ever happened to me. You and these babies are the _best _thing that has ever happened to me." Mark wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "You think you broke me, Little Grey? That's impossible, Lex. You're the one who put me back together."

Lexie looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Really?"

"Really," Mark affirmed. "I would be lost without you, so don't you dare go giving up on us. Me and the babies need you to be strong, okay?"

Lexie took a tremulous breath. "Okay."

Mark returned to stoking her hair, holding her securely to his side.

"Mark?"

"Hmm?"

"I get why you fell in love with Izzie, now."

Mark looked down at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just," Lexie said, trying to keep her mind off the babies, the one thing she didn't want to think about. "I get it now."

Mark wanted to say many things, but now was not the time for this conversation. He kissed Lexie's forehead, and whispered, "It doesn't matter now."

Lexie spoke as if she hadn't heard him. "I don't remember everything, I came in and out a lot while I was in the ER…but I remember one thing."

"What?" Mark asked, almost afraid to know.

"I was so scared and I couldn't seem to force the words out, but I didn't need to speak because…Izzie was there," Lexie said. Her voice got soft as she began to drift off to sleep. "And she held my hand the entire time."

Mark kissed her temple, immediately pushing away what she had said about Izzie. He couldn't care less about that now. Lexie was his only focus.

Looking down at the sleeping angel in his arms, Mark whispered three words he had never had the courage to tell her when she was awake.

TBC

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	20. How Many Lies Can I Make?

**_Hey All! Something screwy is going on with the reviews. They aren't showing up, but I am getting them. So thanks to all who reviewed, I always like knowing how you think I am doing. Enjoy this chapter, I really liked writing it. And thanks to Mere for reading and being encouraging as always._**

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_Chapter Twenty – How Many Lies Can I Make?_

As he slowly returned to consciousness, Mark had a moment when he couldn't remember where he was. Quickly, though, it all came rushing back. The panic, the fear, the clenching in his stomach that told him he had been lucky one too many times. Mark quietly got up from the hospital bed, careful not to jostle Lexie as he rose. Checking his watch, Mark saw that he had slept for a full hour.

He looked down at Lexie, who was sleeping soundly, despite all the wires and tubes she was connected to. Mark took the chair by her bed, sitting in it and taking her hand. He knew that the test results were supposed to return soon, and he didn't want to leave Lexie alone.

"Stop it."

Mark looked up at Lexie's eyes, and saw that she was awake and grinning at him. "Stop what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are staring at me; it's creepy, stop it."

Mark rolled his eyes, causing her to grin wider. "Bitch, bitch, bitch… that's all you ever do. If I wasn't watching you, you would say I wasn't paying you enough attention. Besides," Mark said, lowering his voice, "You are incredibly sexy, and I like to watch you sleep."

"It's still creepy," Lexie said, smiling.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Mark asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"I can't sleep without you," Lexie said. "I woke up the moment you left the bed."

Mark raised his eyebrows. "Used to be you could fall asleep anywhere."

"Yeah, well that changed when we got together," Lexie said. "I hardly ever sleep when you are on call. The bed at home just seems so empty without you there beside me."

"I know what you mean," Mark murmured, as he moved his chair closer to her bed and took her hand in his. "I hate when you aren't sleeping next to me because of work."

A frown passed over Lexie's face. "Well, I think we won't have to worry about that anymore. I doubt I will be returning to work anytime soon."

"Maybe not," Mark agreed, "But it will give you plenty more time to work on the babies' room."

Tears filled Lexie's eyes at the mention of the babies. All the emotions that she had been struggling to ignore and suppress shot straight to the surface. "What if…?" She began tremulously. "What if there are no babies to take home to the nursery? What if—"

"Don't," Mark said, cutting her off. "You can't think like that, Lex. You just can't. Our children are strong, and they will be fine. They are Sloans, after all."

Lexie laughed and hiccupped at Mark's statement. "You are right."

"Of course I am," Mark said.

Lexie began to move to lie on her back, but Mark stopped her. "You have to remain on your side, Lex. Doctor's orders."

"Okay," Lexie said, wondering when everything had gotten so complicated.

The door to the room opened quietly, and Bailey and Arizona entered quietly. "Hi Lexie," Arizona said. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better," Lexie said. "I feel fine, actually."

Arizona smiled. "That's because you are better."

"What about the PIH?" Mark asked.

"Lexie's case is very mild," Arizona stated. "We jumped on that as the explanation because of the slightly elevated blood pressure and the protein in her urine, but we might never have even noticed those if it wasn't for the fact that Lexie was admitted tonight."

"So the PIH didn't cause me fainting?" Lexie asked, almost afraid to know what was really wrong with her.

"No," Bailey said, speaking for the first time. "Your severe dehydration did."

"What?" Lexie said in shock. "There is no way I was dehydrated. I usually drink water all day!"

"But I am guessing you didn't today, did you?" Arizona asked.

"Well, no," Lexie said. "I was nauseated and I couldn't keep any food or water down…" She trailed off, and then a look of anger came over her face. "Are you saying I did this to myself?"

Arizona nodded. "'Fraid so. You will have to stay in the hospital over night, but you should be able to go home once we get all your levels back to normal. We will monitor you PIH closely, but there is no reason to think it will cause any complications through the rest of the pregnancy."

"So the babies are okay?" Mark asked hoarsely.

"Yep," Arizona said, nodding. "The ultrasounds we have performed show no distress to the fetuses. They should be fine."

A huge grin split Mark's face, and he turned to Lexie, kissing her soundly on the mouth. Then, pressing his forehead to hers, he said, "Oh, thank God."

After a moment, Lexie asked, "What about work?"

"You are going to stay home for the next two weeks," Bailey ordered. "That is not a suggestion. And when I think you are ready, you can come back to work for a reduced number of hours per shift. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Lexie said, smiling. This was better than she could ever have hoped for. Not only were her and the babies fine, but she didn't even need to stop working yet.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Mark asked.

Bailey put her hands on her hips. "Are you saying that a pregnant woman is not capable of working? Is that what you are saying?"

"No," Mark said, wishing he hadn't spoken. "I would never say that, Dr. Bailey."

She narrowed her eyes. "Good. That's what I thought." And then, to Lexie's shock and surprise, she winked at her.

Lexie stifled the laughter that bubbled up in her throat.

After that, Arizona and Bailey left to tell Callie and Owen, who had been dutifully waiting in the hall all this time. Once the door was closed behind them, Mark climbed back onto the bed with Lexie. She was grinning like a madwoman, totally and utterly happy that she and the babies would be fine.

"I am so happy right now," Lexie said, grinning. "Thank God for Bailey and Arizona."

"Hey, what about me?" Mark asked, kissing her temple.

"Thank God for you too, Mark," Lexie said. "I think I would have fallen to pieces if you hadn't been here." She looked up at him, her eyes shining bright with an emotion that Mark didn't recognize. "You mean so much to me," She whispered quietly.

"I feel the same way," Mark said. "In fact, there is something I want to talk to you about."

"Uh-oh," Lexie said with a grin. Sounds serious."

"Yeah, it is," Mark said.

"Should I be worried?" Lexie asked dryly, thinking anything Mark had to tell her couldn't be as bad as what they had just gone through.

Mark chuckled. "No, it is nothing bad. Just something I want to tell you."

"Well, can you tell me tomorrow?" Lexie asked, yawning. "I am kind of tired."

Mark nodded, kissing her head. "Yeah, angel. I'll tell you tomorrow."

As Lexie fell asleep, her fingers were still interlocked with his. He used his free hand to trace gentle circles on her rounded abdomen, so grateful that the two babies inside were okay. Mark watched her rest with a smile on his face, heedless of the observer he had watching him through the window.

* * *

She sat in the on call room crying for two hours straight. Izzie's shoulders trembled violently as she tried to restrain the full force of her grief. How was this possible? The mild form of acceptance she had felt earlier that night had faded to harsh self-flagellation. She had so foolishly thrown away something she couldn't even fully understand.

When Lexie had come into the ER, Izzie had thought first as a doctor, ignoring all the implications of Lexie's rounded belly. But when Bailey came, joining the rest of the doctors, Izzie moved to soothe Lexie, taking her hand, then she finally allowed herself to understand what it all meant.

Lexie was pregnant.

Lexie was pregnant with Mark's baby.

Babies, Izzie mentally corrected herself. Lexie had whispered, as she held tight to Izzie's hand, that it was twins. Perhaps that was the part that scared, and hurt, Izzie the most. Maybe she would have been able to deal with a pregnant Lexie on the table, but the fact that she was pregnant Lexie with twins…

She was Mark's family now. She, and the babies in her belly, was Mark's family. Mark and Lexie were going to be together and have two beautiful children.

Izzie had truly lost him.

Thus, the crying.

Suddenly, the door to the on call room where she was hiding opened quickly. "Cristina?"

Izzie, squinted against the light, to see Owen standing in the door frame. "She's not here," Izzie said. "I think Meredith took her home."

Owen sighed. "Damn it, I really need to talk to her."

Izzie surreptitiously wiped her cheeks, and said, "Well, I don't think she is in a frame of mind to talk. When I got my dinner from Joe's earlier, she was drinking pretty heavily."

"Tell me something I don't know," Owen muttered. He looked lost in thought, but then he really noticed Izzie, and said bluntly. "What's wrong, Dr. Stevens?"

"Nothing," Izzie lied, secretly liking the fact that he called her Dr. Stevens. Officially, she went by Dr. Stevens-Karev, but most people dropped the Stevens and called her Dr. Karev. She liked the way that Owen dropped the Karev instead. "It has just been a really awful night."

"Yeah," Owen said with a sigh. "But it looks like everything will be okay. Lexie and the babies will be fine."

"That's good," Izzie said quietly, despite already knowing that information.

Owen stepped inside the small room then, closing the door behind him and returning the room to darkness. Within moments, Izzie felt the mattress she was sitting on lower, as Owen sat onto the bed. Izzie wanted to snap at him to leave, but she had no energy to do so, and tears were beginning to clog her throat again.

After a long silence, Owen said, "I saw you."

"You saw me what?" Izzie asked, her breath hitching.

"I saw you watching Mark and Lexie. You seemed really upset."

"Of course I am upset," Izzie said. "Lexie is kind of a friend of mine. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding."

"No," Owen said firmly. "It is not that. Lexie might be a friend of yours, but she never mentions you and you never come to dinner with all of us. So I doubt the reason you are crying now is for your friend."

Izzie bit her lip, trying to ignore the truth of his words. "It's complicated," She managed. "We were becoming friends, good friends. We could tell each other anything it seemed like. But then I got married, and she began to…"

"See Mark," Owen supplied.

"Yes," Izzie agreed. "We both just got busy."

"Good explanation," Owen said. "But it's still not the right one."

"Oh, what do you know?" Izzie snapped. "You don't even know me, Dr. Hunt."

"No, Dr. Stevens," Owen said. "I don't know you. But I know what I see." His voice grew reflective, lowering to match the quiet of the room. "When I was in the army…well, you learn a lot of things very quickly. You learn never to go anywhere unarmed. You learn to change your socks frequently. You learn to eat when you have a chance, never knowing when you are going to be away from food and water for hours on end. But most of all, you learn to observe. And I learned to observe _everything_.

"As a trauma surgeon, I had to know at all times that I could depend on the people around me to get things done. So I watched what they ate, when they slept; I figured that if I knew enough about them, that I could control the outcome of the next solider on my table." Owen couldn't explain why he was telling her this, but it came out so easily that he didn't stop talking.

"That was how I knew when one of my medics was doping on the morphine meant for the wounded, how I knew Corporal Davidson was sleep deprived and wouldn't make it through the next shift, and it was how I knew that the captain of the Bravo platoon was suffering a mental breakdown. And I don't know why, but I didn't stop watching when I left the army. I have been watching here too. And do you want to know what I have seen, Dr. Stevens?"

"No," Izzie whispered, feeling as though her soul was being laid bare.

"I have seen _you_ watching too," Owen continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "You watch Mark constantly, and when you watch him with Lexie, you get this look on your face, as if you are torturing yourself."

"That's not true," Izzie denied, knowing full well it was.

"I think you love him," Owen stated, his voice soothing and low. "You love him like I love Cristina, and the way you relate to him is just as messed up as the way Cristina and I relate to each other."

"No, you're wrong," Izzie stated, her voice shaking.

"No," Owen said calmly. "I'm not, and I am real sorry about that. 'Cause I understand, I really do. I have figured out that, though I love Cristina, it is simply not possible for two people as messed up as we are to make a relationship work. There is too much baggage on either side. It is the same with you and Mark. No matter how much you love him, it would never work between the two of you." _That is why Lexie is perfect for him_, Owen added silently.

"I couldn't love Mark," Izzie said, her voice trembling.

"Why?" Owen asked. "Because it is inconvenient?"

"Because I am married!" Izzie cried out, finally releasing all the things she was feeling and berating herself for. "Married people aren't supposed to be in love with people not their spouse!" Izzie took a trembling breath. "I already destroyed someone else's marriage. I can't be that woman who does that! I can't be the woman who takes marriage vows lightly, and falls for men whom she shouldn't! I am Catholic, for goodness sake!"

Owen smiled sadly in the darkness. "It sounds to me like there are a lot of things you won't allow yourself to do or be, ignoring who you _are_ and what you _want_. This stuff won't go away, it will only multiply. I don't know much, but I do know that." He paused, and then said, "Until you face up to the truth, you will remain unhappy. Believe me, I know."

There was another long silence then. Even though she might wish to deny it, Izzie could feel the truth of his words. A myriad of emotions were rushing through Izzie, one of which was relief. It was such a release to talk about this with someone else, even though she hadn't really told him anything.

"How is it you know exactly what to say to me?" Izzie asked after a while. "I don't even like you, Dr. Hunt. You killed pigs in front of me."

"Yeah, well, I don't like you much either, Dr. Stevens," Owen returned. "I think you are a selfish narcissist."

"And you're an arrogant Neanderthal," Izzie replied, knowing he wouldn't take offense to her words.

They became silent again, sitting there, side by side. The funny part, though, was the silence in the small on call room wasn't heavy or oppressive, but rather comforting. It was soothing to both Izzie and Owen to be in the company of someone who knew exactly what they were feeling. Messed up though they both were, in that moment, it ceased to matter.

* * *

Across the city, in the wilderness, Derek sat in his empty car, staring straight ahead at his empty trailer. The weight of all his bad decisions was weighing down on him, seeming to strangle him from the inside out. After Mark had rushed to Lexie's room, Derek had left the Obstetrics ward with Meredith walking after him. He had dropped Meredith off at Cristina's, where she planned to spend the night watching over her friend. He found that, without Meredith, he had no desire to return to her home.

So he had returned to the trailer.

It had always helped him in the past to come here and think. The land was the one place he could really clear his head, and examine his choices. The only problem was, _this time_, the examination was making him disgusted with himself.

Derek went over and over all the ways he had messed up his relationship with Mark, beating himself up for all the offhanded comments and the snide remarks.

What had Mark done to deserve any of it? The self-righteous feeling that had filled Derek the last couple of months was gone, replaced with bitter self-loathing.

But Derek had dwelled enough.

It was time to fix things.

Pulling out his cell phone, Derek punched a number from memory, ignoring the lateness of the hour, waiting until the person on the other end picked up.

"Hey," Derek said, when they answered. "It's me. I need you to come to Seattle Grace right away. I need your help."

TBC

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**_Review Please!_**


	21. How Many Roads Must I Turn?

_**Woohoo! I am on a roll. Don't ask me why, even I don't know, lol. Here is a little fluff, since the last few chapters have been so angsty. Enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Twenty-One – How Many Roads Must I Turn?_

The next morning, when Lexie woke, the first thing on her mind was the empty space in the hospital bed next to her. Trying not to panic, Lexie wracked her mind as to an explanation for where Mark could have gone this early in the morning. But her distress quickly alleviated when she saw the folded up piece of paper on the bed next to her.

_Lex— _

_The cafeteria food they tried to bring you is not fit for human consumption. I have gone to get you and the babies a REAL breakfast. I'll make sure they include green apples; I know how much you love them. I hope that you were tired enough to sleep through me leaving (though I am sure you miss me and my sculpted chest); be back soon. _

—_Mark _

_P.S. The Chief and Bailey stopped by, but I told them to go away (Okay, okay, I told the Chief to go away, Bailey scares me too much; she left on her own when she saw you were still sleeping!)_

Lexie laughed at the contents of the note. Mark seemed to always know what to say to make her smile. She perused the note again, her mouth tilting at the corner at the utter _Mark-ness_ of the note.

Lexie knew how lucky she was to have Mark in her life. He was so completely supportive; it was almost like the man that everyone seemed to warn her about was another person entirely. She had certainly never seen that Mark in the time that they had been together. Even Callie had remarked on how much he had changed. But to Lexie, it wasn't that he was more settled, like Callie claimed, but rather it was the way he seemed to smile so much easier now. Instead of that shit-eating grin he used to constantly be flashing, Lexie saw his real smile so much more.

And sometimes, she would see it for no reason at all. She would just look up and there he was, smiling at her.

It was an amazing feeling to Lexie, who had always wondered when the other show would drop between her and Mark. Lexie now thought that it _wasn't_ going to drop. And maybe, just maybe, what she and Mark had was something that could last.

Lexie was pulled from her thoughts by a knock at her door. It opened to reveal a glamorous redhead that looked strangely familiar to Lexie.

"Lexie? I am Dr. Montgomery."

* * *

Mark whistled as he walked back into the hospital, carrying a takeout box in his hands. He had gone to Lexie's favorite diner by their house, picking up her favorite foods, with a side of apples. Then he had returned to their home, getting clothes for Lexie to change into when they headed home later that day, which were now carefully packed into the bag on his shoulder. And all the while he had been gone, there had been a giant grin splitting his face as he thought of the fact that Lexie and the babies were okay. He knew he was acting like an idiot, but he didn't care.

He was happy. For once in his life, Mark Sloan was happy, and you can bet like hell, he planned to enjoy it.

The happy mood continued, even once he was through the doors of the hospital. He smiled at the nurses and doctors he passed, making all of them look twice at him in confusion.

"Mark!"

Mark turned to see Owen walking towards him, having changed into scrubs for the day. "Hey, man," Mark said, slapping him on the back with a grin. "What's up?"

"I should ask you the same question," Owen said, his smile wry. "You're smiling too much."

"There's no such thing as too much," Mark declared liberally. "I am experiencing this thing called happiness; join me."

Owen laughed. "And here I thought you were all sarcastic and brooding. I feel like I don't know you at all."

"What can I say?" Mark said with a shrug. "I am multifaceted."

"Obviously," Owen smirked. "How's Lexie?"

"Lexie is amazing, and so are the babies. The nurses checked on her a few times through the night and each time the results were better than the last. Fully recovery is expected."

"That's great," Owen said, once they reach the elevator bank. "Glad to hear it. Listen Mark, there is something I want to ask you."

"Shoot," Mark said, stepping onto the empty elevator with Owen following him on.

"What's the deal with you and Izzie Stevens?" Owen asked.

Air whistled out between Mark's teeth. "How much time you got?" He asked sarcastically. He had no idea why Owen was asking, but for once Mark didn't care. Then mention of Izzie brought him no pain; nothing more than mild disinterest. So he replied, "The long and the short of it is: I was in love with Izzie. We slept together, and I wanted to try a relationship and she didn't. She ran right into Karev's arms, and married him six months later." Mark then grinned. "But it all turned out for the best, because if I hadn't gotten drunk the night of her wedding, my girlfriend wouldn't be pregnant right now."

Owen laughed. "I didn't know that. I knew the timing was around there, and that you got together after that night, but I didn't know she got pregnant THAT night."

"Yep, the first time," Mark said proudly. "I am just that good."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So, the thing with you and Izzie…it's done, right?"

"So done," Mark said. "I have had a lot of time to think over these last few months, and I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't really love with Izzie."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it can't be real if the other person doesn't return your feelings, can it? No love is strong enough to survive unrequited."

"That's deep," Owen said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up," Mark said with an annoyed grin. "You asked."

"So I did," Owen replied.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you asking about me and Izzie?" Mark clarified.

"Oh, no real reason," Owen said. He tried to think of something quickly, "She got tense when your name came up is all. I was just wondering what that was about."

"Hmm," Mark murmured, clearly not believing him. "Can I give you some free advice?"

"Sure," Owen said.

"Don't go there."

"What?"

"Don't go there," Mark repeated. "As tempting as it might be, the last person you should be with to get over Cristina is Izzie Stevens. Ignoring the obvious fact that she is the most complicated and confusing person on the planet, you don't want to break up a marriage," Mark said. "Been there, done that. It sucks, trust me."

"I would never…I wasn't…you have it all wrong," Owen said. "I don't think of her like that."

Mark gave him a searching look. "Whatever. I have to go deliver this food to Lexie."

"Okay," Owen said. "Tell her I will stop by later, will you?"

"Sure," Mark said, walking down the hall, oblivious to everything but the happiness he felt at soon being with Lexie again.

* * *

"I am Dr. Montgomery," The redheaded goddess said, causing Lexie to lose her train of thought.

Montgomery, Montgomery…why was that name so familiar? Suddenly, Lexie realized that the woman standing in front of her was none other than the woman who had broken Mark's heart. _Addison_. She had only seen her once before, from a distance, but that didn't change the fact that this woman's face was extremely familiar.

"I hope you don't mind," Addison was saying, "But Dr. Webber and Dr. Shepherd called me here to give you a full check up and ultrasound, just to make sure everything is okay."

"No, I don't mind," Lexie said hoarsely. "But I am sure my primary care doctor is coming by this morning to do the exact same thing."

"I talked to Dr. Sullivan already," Addison said, smiling. "We go way back. She was happy to let me take over for the day."

"Well, in that case, I guess it would be okay," Lexie said, despite her desire to not be alone with this woman. She couldn't decide what she wanted more, to have Mark come back and rescue her, or to have him be unavoidably detained and not see Addison at all.

Addison began by checking her heart, and as she worked, she talked. "So your last name is Grey? Any relation to Meredith?"

"She's my half sister," Lexie said, wincing at the feel of the cold stethoscope.

"So you are Molly's sister too," Addison commented. She supposed Lexie's identity as Meredith's sister explained why Derek had called her for a favor in the middle of the night. "I delivered her baby, you know."

Lexie shook her head. She _hadn't _known that. She had known about all the complications and the c-section, but she hadn't known the name of the doctor who delivered the baby. "Well, hopefully I don't require a neonatal surgeon."

Addison smiled. "Yes, let's hope not. It says in your chart you are pregnant with twins."

"Yes," Lexie said with a smile. "Fourteen weeks."

Addison nodded; that information was already in the chart. She kept working, and asked, "Okay, Lexie. What's your stress level at right now?"

"Umm, maybe a six?" Lexie said, as Addison took her pulse. "Working here is so stressful, and the gossip is awful."

"Oh, you work here?" Addison asked, causing Lexie to frown.

"Yes, I am a surgical intern," Lexie said, wondering just how much Addison knew. Did she even know that Lexie was with Mark?

"It must be nice to be near your sister," Addison commented.

"Um, yeah, whatever."

"Well, your blood pressure and pulse rate are down; that's great," Addison commented. "I'll talk with Bailey, see if she can't make sure you are assigned to a stress-free service. Too bad working with Sloan isn't stress-free. Plastics is a calm enough specialty, you might have been able to relax."

Lexie laughed weakly. "Whatever the Plastics rotation is, it isn't relaxing."

Addison smiled again. It was beginning to annoy Lexie that she did it so often, showing off all those perfect white teeth. Bitch.

"So have you decided on a specialty?" Addison asked, pressing firmly on Lexie's rounded stomach.

"Umm, no," Lexie said. "I spend a lot of time in Peds, Trauma, and Ortho these days."

"Ortho? You must know Dr. Torres," Addison said.

"Yeah," Lexie replied. "She's great."

They didn't speak for the next ten minutes as Addison gave her a pelvic exam. Lexie was uncomfortable enough without making small talk with Mark's ex-girlfriend while she was examining her below the belt.

"Okay, Lexie. I'm done," Addison said, pulling off her latex gloves after what seemed like a long time. Lexie put her legs down, and covered back up with the blanket. "Everything looks fine," Addison continued. "Now let's do the ultrasound and I can get out of your hair."

"You are going to do it now?" Lexie asked, her face filled with dismay. She didn't want Mark to miss this. "Can't you just have a technician do it later?"

"I could," Addison said, "but I want to make sure I don't miss anything."

"It's just…he'll want to…" Lexie trailed off.

"Your husband?"

"Boyfriend," Lexie corrected. "He'll want to be here for this. He missed the one they did in the ER, so did I for that matter, but I know he will want to see it this time. He should be here any minute."

Addison checked her watch. "Well, I have to get the machine, which will take about ten minutes. Maybe he will be here when I get back."

Lexie sighed with relief, hoping this gave her a chance to warn Mark about Addison before he ran into her. Addison left the room, giving Lexie a moment to breathe.

Apparently, she left just in time, because at that moment, Mark walked into the room.

"Hey!" Lexie said, her face lighting in a giant smile.

"I don't know what I did, but you better tell me so I can do it again and make you smile that that everyday," Mark said with a grin.

"Can't I just be happy to see you?" Lexie asked with a laugh.

"Hmmm, sure," Mark said, coming over to the bed, putting the food and the bag of clothes down, and kissing Lexie briefly on the mouth. "Likely story."

"What did you get me?" Lexie asked excitedly.

"Food," Mark said dryly.

"Haha, very funny."

"Okay, Lexie. Spill."

"What?" Lexie asked, looking innocent.

"You have something to tell me, spit it out," Mark said, sitting down on the bed and taking her hand.

"Okay," Lexie said with a nervous smile. "You're right; there _is_ something I want to tell you."

Mark smiled, cupping her face. "There is something I want to tell you too."

"Really?" Lexie asked weakly. "You go first then."

He smiled again, and kissed her thoroughly, moving his lips against hers in an intoxicating way.

Lexie realized this was what he wanted to tell her, and surrendered to the sensation for a moment, before trying to pull away. "Mark," Lexie moaned against his lips. "We need to talk."

"Hmm," Mark mumbled. "Later."

"No, now," Lexie said, still kissing him back

"Quiet woman," Mark mumbled against her mouth. "I'm busy."

The giggle that bubbled up in Lexie's throat was swallowed back when the door opened, with a nurse pushing the ultrasound equipment, and Addison following on her heels.

Lexie pulled back, causing Mark to turn around and see what was causing the look of guilt on Lexie's face. "Addie? What are you doing here?"

Addison swallowed, trying to hide her shock at the scene before her. _Mark_ and Lexie? _Lexie _and Mark? _He_ was Lexie's boyfriend?

Clearing her throat, Addison said, "Derek and the Chief called me in to check on Lexie."

Mark frowned at that, but didn't question her further.

Addison dismissed the nurse, who looked as though she was sad to leave the drama that was about to unfold. After a few beats, in which Addison wished the floor would swallow her whole, she commented, "So, you're going to be a dad…"

Mark's face split into a wide grin, and he took Lexie's hand again unconsciously. "Yeah, pretty amazing, right? It's gonna be hard with having twins and all, but I think we will do fine."

Addison felt her heart painfully contract. She didn't know which was worse, seeing the man she still had feelings for happy, or realizing he was soon going to have the family she took away from him. "That's great." She tried to be happy for her friend.

Mark smiled, gazing down at Lexie with an adoring look in his eyes. Lexie squeezed his hand, causing Mark to grin. They were both unaware of how shocking this might be to the other person in the room.

Addison looked at the both of them, completely lost for words.

TBC

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_**Bravo to all of you who guessed it was Addison Derek was calling. Hope you Liked this chapter. Review Please!**_


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